


Paying In Blood and Ash

by SylvaniusOStephans



Series: Payment [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Crimes & Criminals, Last victim, Mental Abuse, Mental Torture, Murder, Serial Killers, Surprise Children
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2018-09-25 07:29:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 42,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9809381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SylvaniusOStephans/pseuds/SylvaniusOStephans
Summary: Updated Saturdays!!!Twenty- Six year old Remus Sedgley is a typical criminal defense lawyer with a bloody past. When the skeletons hidden away in his mind are brought to the public light, thanks to a snooping reporter, his career is the least of the things in danger. Add in the public's judgment over something done over two decades ago, a set of five surprises brought on by his ex- girlfriend's, a set of three cases at the same time, and a question about a man that he thought was dead, and Remy is overwhelmed and ready to shatter to pieces. His life is in danger, and so are the five lives of his children, and his sanity is fading fast. What's he supposed to do now?





	1. Work Day Blues

Some people crave the forbidden fruits of the world. Some people want nothing more than to break out of society's mold for them. Some people crave freedom. But what was freedom exactly? To Remus Sedgley, it was nothing more than a delusion that the weak minded or the weak willed used to pacify themselves. Freedom, to most, was nothing like what he knew.

In order to have freedom, one must first have been in captivity. It wasn't about society's standards. Freedom was something that was earned, not inherited or expected. When you are truly a captive, that’s when you learn exactly what price you would pay for freedom. Remy had long since learned exactly what he would do, what he had done.

When he was just six years old, he learned exactly what he would pay for his freedom. Memories of fire, ash, burning, and screaming danced behind his eyes for a moment. On the bad days, flashbacks ruled his life. On the other ones, however, he was a perfectly reasonable, sometimes on certain topics, member of society. At twenty- six years old, he worked in a law firm called Whitcomb & Mendell with a focus on criminal defense. He may have been new, but he was already gaining a name for himself. In six months, he had already won four cases. Sure, he had lost one, but a very bad man, Marco Rodriguez, was now locked away from society, so he was alright with it.

Around the firm, he was already starting to gain the reputation of an anti- social bastard who was picky, but won. Most of his coworkers didn't like him, but he didn't care. He was there to make money and win cases, not to make friends and win social points. He was more than alright with that, as it helped keep more annoying people from bothering him when he was in a mood. Most importantly, it kept people from asking questions that he knew he couldn't answer.

If anyone had ever bothered looking into his past, they would have seen several questionable things. Most of them would wonder why he was there in the first place. They may also be able to figure out why he was so distant and anti-social. But, it would also make them ask the same series of questions that everyone always asked.

What happened? Was he really a victim? Why did he want to help people who had hurt others like himself? Why, why, why.

No one at work knew what he had done, not because he was ashamed of it, but because it was no one else's business. He had certain details from his past that he had kept quiet about for two decades. He wasn't about to let anyone else see his weakness. 

It was bad enough that his family knew what they did, as little as it was. To them, for two decades, he had been nothing more than a victim. Remy stole his father's car at fifteen, got pulled over by a cop, and let go because he obviously didn't know what he was doing. They tried to treat him as a child, a disabled victim, but he wasn't. 

He knew what had happened to him was bad, he didn't make excuses for that man. He didn't think that he was anything other than wounded as a child. But wounds heal, and the less people who knew about his past, the less people that could pick at his scabs. 

The biggest thing that always was thrown in his face when he was around those who knew, was why he wanted to have this job in the first place. After all, he had burned down the house of the man that had captured, abused, and left him more dead than alive. Why would he want to help free possible criminals? Why would he subject himself to seeing and talking to horrible, psychotic people?

Well, the answer wasn't easy, per say. It was partly because he was just as guilty as the men he had freed. Besides, jail or no jail, bad people would always find a way to hurt other people. They would always advantage of every person they could.

Remy mentally snorted into his folders, ignoring the strange looks that his coworkers sent him. His eyes scanned the paper as his brain wondered. There were no good people or bad people. They were all simply people. People that made stupid decisions sometimes, admittedly, but stupidity wasn't always a crime.

If every time someone made a bad decision, they were arrested, there would be no one left to try, arrest, judge, or defend anyone. The trick was to know the difference between a stupid person, and stupid decisions. Was humiliation enough of a deterrent to keep his clients from recommitting their alleged crimes?

Usually, yes. Most of them, at least, were humiliated by the arrests and trials, and most didn't hurt anyone physically. That was what made him effective. Remy was their judge, jury, and executioner. If he heard their story, and decided that they wouldn't reoffend, he would fight tooth and nail to win.

If not...

Well, he tried, obviously, but in the case of his only conviction, the man was not only guilty, but likely to get more violent sooner or later. Funny enough, he had been right. Within a month of the conviction, the man, Marco Rodriguez, had put a guy in the hospital. The guy had died on the table.

No, Remus didn't regret losing that case. It was for the best. And, he still got paid. A lot. Yes, he rather liked money, he thought with a smirk. He was a bit obsessive with it, but it was in his blood. His father had made his business from the ground up, and while he currently didn't use even a dollar of his father's money, he had learned to be shrewd with it. It was best to save it, and continue to do so, because one day, it might not be there anymore. 

His newest case was going to be fairly straight forward. He got to choose out of four cases, one alleged rape, false obviously because the guy accused wasn't even in the state at the time of the crime, one vandalism, a 16 year old that probably did do it, a robbery that was already lost as the victim not only saw the criminals face, but he was caught on camera, and an alleged murderer. The first and last were the most interesting to him.

Robberies were only interesting if they were something he could debate. Sure, he could probably argue that the witness was a drunk, and the camera's didn't show any kind of weapon, but he didn't really feel like it. The other case with the kid, well, it would be a good lesson for the boy to learn. Either don't break the law, or don't get caught with the spray paint in your backpack when the police just so happened to make stops by the building often. Really, the kid deserved the telling off that the judge would probably give him. 

No, he had a different set of interests. Why would the case not have been dropped against the rapist when it was proven that he wasn't anywhere near the victim? Why had the police believed the so called rape victim when she obviously had a grudge against her ex boyfriend, Trace Miller, seeing as they apparently had been dating, but had a bad break up. 

And, more interestingly, the murder was something that was gruesome, and scary, with a total of six dead, thus why Remy wasn't exactly sure if the man had actually committed the crime or if the prosecution was simply looking for a scapegoat and Casey Campton was it.

He nodded to himself. Remy was going to try and take both of them. It was more than he had ever tried to do, but if there was one thing Remy was good at, it was compartmentalizing. He would assign himself hours for each case, making sure both got the best of his time. If his bosses would let him, he would happily spend the next month or so learning the cases and trying to succeed in figuring out exactly what made Casey Campton and Trace Miller such good targets for whoever was trying to pin this on them.

He stood easily, slipping his suit jacket back on once he was up, and pushed his chair back under his desk. Once that was done, he buttoned the bottom two on his pure black suit jacket, and straightened his tie. Remy grabbed the two folders off his desk that had caught his attention, and headed towards the main office of Samuel Whitcomb, the one he worked under. Whitcomb had scouted him personally in college, and he had worked in the office as an intern before his final year with a promise of a job as soon as he graduated.

The man was older, almost sixty if he remembered right, with a full head of short white hair, and a determined set of steely blue eyes. He was very similar to the older man, in personality anyway. Whitcomb was more likely to tear into his opponents and destroy their arguments with a few, specific, pointed facts than to lose. Whitcomb never lost. Where his partner, James Mendell was the more soft spoken of the two and preferred to subtly destroy his opponents, Whitcomb would latch onto a stupid point and tear the cases open. The two had opened the firm almost thirty years previous, and had a reputation of only taking the best of the best.

It was a small firm, with only twelve workers and two new interns, but they were all effective and deadly when challenged. He knocked on the glass door, and waited for Whitcomb to call for him to enter.

The moment he did, the older man's eyes lit up. "Ah, Mr. Sedgley, good timing. My partner and I were just betting which case you would be most interested in. Care to win a bet for an old man?" 

Remy gave the other man a slightly annoyed look. "I'm sure you are correct in your choice, Mr. Whitcomb, as always."

"The Campton and Miller cases, I'm assuming?" Whitcomb laughed. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist asking for a heavier load. I did the same thing when I started off. Seeing as you just wrapped up the Rodriguez case, I'm guessing you want something more interesting this time?"

Remy tilted his head slightly, his golden brown hair slipping into his face as he did so. He mentally made a note to get his bangs trimmed, as they were getting to the point where they were more likely to stab him in the eye than anything else. His eyes were a vibrant green, identical to his grandmothers, and yet, instead of seeming calming, like hers were, his were more likely to scare someone. If the eyes were a window to his soul, then his soul was very dark, very tired, and very much ready for something to focus on.

"I would like to take the lead on both cases. I understand I don't have a lot of experience, and if you decide that I need a partner for either or both of the cases to keep an eye on my progress, I understand. I would really appreciate the chance to prove myself useful to you, and to this firm." He started calmly, "I want to start taking on more of a load. I know that most of the people you have working here take on five to seven cases at a time, and I would like the chance to prove that I can manage the workload as well." 

And he could. Both cases were interesting, and he couldn't wait to talk to either of the people involved with them already. He was curious as to whether either man was actually innocent, and why, if they were, the police had arrested them as the people responsible. 

"You know," Whitcomb started, folding his hands under his chin and meeting Remy's green eyes with his steely grey, "Jamie and I have a bit of a rivalry going on right now. He has an intern, and I have one. He got a new hire, and so did I. I admire your will to jump into this firm and this job, but you need to understand something. We expect each and every case to be handled by the best person for the job. Most vandalisms go to Zachary Martins, most gang related cases go to Lauren Summit, and so on and so forth. We don't usually handle violent crimes like the Campton case. It's very difficult to be able to fight your hardest for someone you know is guilty, and still somehow, try and prove that they aren't. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to look at a jury in the end of a case, and say that you believe without a shadow of a doubt that the person you are defending is innocent, while you can't help but wonder who they are going to kill next and if, somehow, it's your fault. Mister Sedgley, this isn't a business for the faint of heart." The older man paused for a moment, glancing at the picture of his grandchild, twelve year old Stephanie, if he remembered right, who currently thought her grandfather was the most awesome person ever, and wanted to go into law like he did.

Remy had met the girl before, all golden locks and steely eyes. He was impressed that someone so young could be so dedicated to already wanting a career like her grandfather. He wondered if some of the man's age was brought on by the stresses of the job, and the other part caused by worry. Remy knew exactly how dangerous this job could be. He remembered lecture after lecture of horror stories told to his classmates about a criminal getting off, and killing their lawyer because they didn't want anyone to know what they had told their defenders.

"Sometimes," He started again, "our job requires us to go against our morals, and fight for the bad people of the world. Sometimes, we have to go home to our families and know that if something happens to them because we failed to get someone free, or worse, because we did manage to get a guilty man free, it isn't our fault. I know you don't have a family right now, and I know that you just want to be able to find a challenge in life, but you should know that if you do well with these cases, we may very well assign them to you more often than not, which means, you are going to have to spend the rest of your career looking over your shoulder, not only for your ex clients, but for their victims, should they or their families seek revenge."

Remy glanced away. "I understand sir." He did, more so than the man would ever truly know. He knew what it was like to want revenge, hell, he had killed a man to get free at only six years of age. He remembered the white hot anger at the elderly mother of the man who had tortured him for months. He remembered wanting nothing more than to make her hear the screams of her son, his tormenter, as he burned to death.

He knew and fully understood what he was getting himself into, even if the man didn't believe it.

Whitcomb shook his head, and laughed darkly, "No, you don't, yet. But you will, I don't doubt that this job will take almost everything you care about, and somehow, someway, I have a feeling you might manage to take it all back."

He blinked, unsure how to take the complement. "So, may I take the cases?" He brought the conversation back to the original topic, rather unsteady, honestly, and not so subtly, but he managed it. The last thing he wanted was someone, especially his boss, to realize who he had been and what he had done. 

Whitcomb bit his lip, and glanced away, clearly debating something in his head. "Very well," His boss said slowly, "But, I have a third assignment for you as well. One that’s more low key. I’ll brief you on it after you go and introduce yourself to your clients tomorrow. Your appointment with Campton is at ten, and your appointment with Miller is set for four- thirty. Go home, now, and get some sleep."

That was a bit of a surprise. That meant that Whitcomb had already given him the cases, he just had to ask. He had never heard of his boss making appointments for anyone before. "I'll be there." He managed to say, tilting his head slightly in thanks. "Was there anything else, sir?"

"Indeed, there was one other matter, one that I am sure you will find out soon enough without this old man's interference. However, I am sticking my nose in places it doesn’t belong, and well, a woman claiming to be your ex is waiting for you in the cafeteria." Whitcomb told him, glancing away uncomfortably, "It doesn’t appear that she is doing very well, if I may be so bold to say. You have beautiful children, by the way." 

Remy froze, eyes wide. "I don't-" He stuttered slightly, before catching himself with narrow eyes. He had broken up with his last girl friend almost a year and a half ago, and hadn't exactly had time to be sleeping around. He forced himself to stand up. "I do not have any children yet, sir, but I will take care of this. I apologize if she has caused any problems." And he did, he really did. If it was who he thought it was, he knew that he was in for a headache, if nothing else. 

He ducked out of the room, thanking the man again for the chance to prove himself, before forcing his shoulders back, and narrowing his eyes while he went looking for whoever had come for him.

This, he knew, was going to be more of a headache than it was worth. She always had been.


	2. Triple Surprise

Remy couldn't help but dread whatever was in the other room. People were giving him looks as he passed by, worse than usual, but he ignored them. Whatever they thought was going on probably wasn't. For that matter, he knew that if anything, they would over exaggerate the problem. His stomach was somewhere around his shoes, not that anyone would ever know from his face, and every bit of him wanted to run. His brain had worked out several scenarios, each more crazy than the last. He was sure that as long as he stayed rational no problem would be too large to solve.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, took a breath, before straightening up, and opening the doors calmly. He strode into the cafeteria, ignoring the strong smells of food that was overcooked. His green eyes scanned the room for someone familiar. That was his best bet. Granted, there were several different scenarios that he could come up with that involved a stranger. It took only a few moments to find the dark haired, pale beauty that he had once dated.

Amy Richards was beautiful, by every meaning of the word, but... She was one of the most horrible people he had ever met. She was everything that he hated about traditional beauty. Every bit of her beauty was needed to keep anyone else from figuring out what she was hiding behind her meek outward persona. He used to think that she was kind, compassionate, and even the sight of her sent his heart pounding in his chest. Amy hadn't been able to keep up her persona for very long. It didn't matter that he was taller than her, she had a way of slicing him with her words, and after a few weeks, she began to prove to him just how weak he was. 

When she had put him in the hospital for the third time with a broken hand smashed under her heels, a cracked jaw, and several bruised ribs, he had finally given in and left her. He took another job, and crawled back to his parent until he could prove to himself that he would be alright on his own. 

He had never said a word about the woman to anyone else, and even when the doctors had asked what was going on, he had lied. She had been too ingrained in his life for him to just leave. Or so she had thought.

Her cruelty was too much for him to handle, and he spent several months dealing with her obsessive, possessive, abusive, behavior. Amy was more than enough to put him off dating for the next few years.

She turned, her icy blue eyes stared into his soul, causing Remy raised his eyebrow. She looked awful, exhausted, and her makeup was smeared. She had a file on the table next to her, and a stroller by her side. In the eight months they had dated, he had never seen her look like this. For a single moment, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and help her in any way that he could. 

Then, he spotted a stroller next to her. The bitch, it seemed, had gotten knocked up, huh. He spent another second pitying her children and making a note that he was probably going to call CPS, just in case. If she was anything like she had been with him, the children would be in danger. As much as he loathed her, he wasn't about to leave any child in her care for any longer than was necessary. 

No, he thought, shaking a sudden thought from his mind. Hell no. He hoped that she was here for legal advice, and not for any other reason. He carefully moved over towards her, wondering if she was going to snap at him again, and nodded calmly. There really wasn't anything else he could do, not really. If there was one thing that Amy was good at, it was letting him know exactly what she thought he did. 

She blew out a breath, tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, and forced the folder that had been in her other hand into his hands the moment he got in reaching distance. It took him a moment to realize he had been bracing himself. He was a bit disgusted with himself for the reaction. 

At least she didn't hit him again, he thought, opening the manila folder. He scanned it, using the same speed reading that he used the first time he was looking over a case, and groaned out an annoyed breath. Three birth certificates, with his name only as the parent, and a lot of other official papers that legally relieved her of her rights.

"Are you serious?" He couldn't help but ask.

"They're yours, Remus!" She started with a gleam in her eyes that he was sure he would regret seeing. "You haven't done anything legally with them! You haven't even come to see them yet, Rem, and they're six months old!" Amy yelled. She was upset, that was obvious, but she was playing this up, she always did when she had that glint in her eyes. Amy was easily manipulating the situation, making sure that she had spoken loud enough to get the whole room's attention.

"You never mentioned you were pregnant, Amy." He told her as calmly as he could manage. She wouldn't hurt him in public. No, that wouldn't be something she would bother with. When she had hit him before, she had been able to claim self defence. If she hit him without him doing anything at all, she could get in trouble. Not that she would,but it was something that he was sure she was overly cautious of. Besides that, he knew she had been sleeping around when they were dating. It had been shoved in his face more times than he cared to think about.

She stood up and shoved him back. "I don't have to explain anything to you, you abusive bastard!" Amy yelled again, throwing her arms up in frustration at his lack of reaction. He simply raised an eyebrow, making her more angry until he was sure she was seeing red. "And hell knows I would have aborted those three if I wouldn't have heard hell from my family. Now, they're your problems! I'm not wasting any more of my money or time on your brats, Remus Lothario Sedgley!"

"They’re children!" He shouted back, before retreating slightly to calm himself. The moment he got upset was the moment he lost this fight. "Is this really the time for this?" He asked through grit teeth. He had never ever thought that he would be a parent. Why would he even consider it? He supposed, if he ever thought about it, that he would have a family with a wife to help support him. He hadn't even known that Amy was pregnant, if they were even his, as she had been cheating on him. Nor had he ever been notified of a birth. Or several births, as the case may be. As horrible as it sounded, he had never thought that Amy would ever continue a pregnancy when she found out about it.

"It is. They're yours. I'll drop by your place tonight with the rest of their stuff. I'm not-"

"Fine." He cut her off, ignoring the rage growing in his eyes. He knew that this was going to come and kick him in the ass later this afternoon, but he couldn't let this escalate any further than it already had. He was in for hell later on. That said, he knew that those children would be better off with him than with Amy. He needed to figure out when the court date was, for the custody of them. If he got them, he wasn't going to allow her anywhere near them until they were eighteen, and only if they wanted to.

He wasn't a parent, nowhere near, but this was something that he had to do. If he didn't, they would, most likely, be placed in foster care, or up for adoption. He didn't want to take this responsibility, as his job was too stressful to allow much of a life outside of work. But, he didn't have a choice. He couldn't give up his children. He couldn't doom any child to a life of not knowing who they were or where they came from. 

Amy cursed at him, and stormed away. Remy wasn't sure exactly what she wanted from him, but he knew that this wasn't it. She wasn't going to do something like this unless there was an alternative thing that she wanted to use for leverage.

Well, in five minutes, he had been told that he was a father to triplets, accused of abuse, shoved by his ex, and somehow, he was going to have to figure out exactly what she wanted from him. There was no way that she was done with him just yet. Amy normally would have gotten as much out of him as she could before giving up custody. She would have used them, warped their mind until they despised him, and charged him for every penny he had. She wouldn't give up her leverage that easily, and having the children out of her reach. The only reason she would, was if she had a better thing to use when they were alone.

Seeing as he didn't even know about them, he was surprised that the temporary custody was his right now. He had never even had a paternity test, and the chance that they were actually his was very small. He didn't have multiples in his family, let alone triplets.

Slowly, he walked over to the stroller with a small sigh, and sat down in the seat that Amy had occupied before. His mind was slower than it should have been. He wasn't even sure what he should do, or what he could do for that matter. If everything he was seeing was true, then there was no way for him to get out of this mess just yet. Great. 

He couldn't even look at the children. For that matter, he didn't even know their names. He flipped open the file, supposing that was a place to start, at least. The first birth certificate was for the oldest, a son, apparently, named Lothario Roderick Sedgley, born at 9:23 pm on November eighth weighing three pounds, eight ounces. The first thing he noticed with a small grin, was the oldest child had Remy's middle name as his first. That meant that Amy's sister, Chloe, probably was involved with this mess.

Why they hadn't told him, he didn't know, but that was something to think about later.  
The second birth certificate was apparently Lothario's twin brother, probably identical, named Theodoric Remus Sedgley. Theodoric was born two minutes after his older brother, at 9:25 pm slightly larger than his older brother at three pounds, ten ounces.

Finally, the third, and youngest, a little girl named Aslynn Rosalina Sedgley, was born at 9:28 pm. Aislynn Arianthe was also the smallest at three pounds, five ounces. He mentally calculated the date, the triplets would be about seven months old, just under actually. It was late May, currently.

He read quietly for a few more moments, trying to get an idea of exactly what Amy had managed to do without his knowledge. He probably needed to look at them now, but he didn't really want to.

Remy was well aware that he wouldn't be a good parent, not really. He had too many bad days to be able to cope with a single child alone, let alone three. He pinched the bridge of his nose for another moment or two. He wouldn't be able to do this alone, so he would get help. He supposed that he could make a few calls when he got home.

He glanced at the stroller once more, unsure if he even wanted to touch it. But, alas, he would have to sooner or later. He considered calling for help and having someone else deal with this right now, but he couldn't. Not yet.

He would, after he figured out what he was supposed to do now. It took him several minutes before he could make himself touch the stroller. He would introduce himself to the children when he got back to his apartment. That was going to be a challenge too, trying to find the space for three children that would get more rambunctious, but he figured he would mess with that thought process later.

It was humiliating how much effort it took to even place his hand on the bar of the stroller, and yet, he managed it. Remy was fairly certain that if he wasn't in public, he would have had a panic attack by now. But, he had to do what he had to do.

Thankfully, Amy had left a diaper bag on the back of the stroller. That was something, at least. He figured they could sleep in their stroller for now. Once he managed to get a grip on the stroller, he started moving towards the door. He carefully managed to get through the small building. He decided to go through the back ways, to make sure he wasn't seen too much. He needed a few minutes to wrap his own head around this first, before he showed off the triplets to the world.

He wasn't sure that this was going to work out. He didn't have a car seat, or anything like it, but that wasn't something he could fix just yet. He wondered if he had ever seen a stroller that could detach and move to a car seat kind of thing. His head was crazy right now, but he knew the laws. Granted, he hadn't spent as much time on family law as he had criminal law. He knew a bit, probably less than he should. That said, he still knew that driving with infants without a car seat was illegal.

He couldn't believe that he had to think about this. For that matter, how was he supposed to fold the stroller and put it in his car. He had a medium sized car, one that he used to lug around his bags, but he still wasn't sure he could fit three car seats in the back seat. He unlocked his dark blue S.U.V., and opened the back doors behind the driver side. He frowned a bit, and moved his eyes over to the stroller once more.

How did this work? He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and looked up the type of stroller on the internet. He knew that he would never figure this out by himself. There was no shame in admitting that he didn't know something, as long as it was only to himself.

He wondered, for a moment, rather or not anyone was watching him trying to figure this stroller thing out. Remy probably looked ridiculous, but he was sure that every new parent started off the same way.

After a few minutes, he figured out that each of the seats were, in fact, detachable. He had never been more grateful for the internet. With his phone as his guide, he managed to unlock the first of the seats, and wrestle it into the middle seat in the back. He wasn't sure which of the triplets was there, but he made a note about what order they were in. The second on, in the back next to the other one, was put on the right. By the time he had managed to get to the third one, he had mostly figured out exactly how he was supposed to do this whole stroller thing.

Folding the stroller, on the other hand, took a few extra minutes. Once he had managed to do so, he pulled out his keys again, and shut the trunk with the backbone of the stroller folded neatly, if insanely. He slid into the front seat, and took a few moments to breath.

A knock at the window made him jump slightly. He cringed slightly, turning to the car seats. Once he realized that they were still quiet, he turned towards the driver's window, and rolled it down. He wanted to hit himself when he saw Mr. Whitcomb standing by his car with his shoulder bag and several files in his hands.

He couldn't believe that he had forgotten to grab his stuff before he coward away from the building.

"Ah, thank you, Mr. Whitcomb." Remy muttered out, glancing away, embarrassed. This was insane. Whitcomb laughed quietly.

"I figured this was going to be a bit of a shock for you, Remus. I am not at all surprised that you forgot the rest of your stuff. Go home for the night, and let me know if I need to reschedule your meetings for a day or two later." Whitcomb told him, calmly, peeking back to the quiet car seat. "Now, go, get your head on straight. Have a good night."

"Thank you, sir. I will let you know what I can manage to do tomorrow." Whitcomb handed him his bag, as well as the files, before walking off back towards the office. Remy knew he had a lot to think about before he got home.


	3. Six Little Eyes

He spent a long time just driving around uselessly. He didn't waste it, though, he worked through everything that had bombarded him in a single day. Or at least, he tried to. It wasn't something that he could push from his mind with logic. Nothing about this mess was logical.

That morning, his biggest worry was finding a new case, and now, he had to worry about three little people that would, or maybe already did, have hopes and dreams. What would they do with their lives, he wondered, glancing in his rear view mirror that showed the three. Would he screw them up so badly that they would drop out of school, drink, do drugs, steal, or end up in jail? Was there a way that he could actually make sure that they would end up doing something in their lives? What kind of parent would he be? 

Questions jumbled his mind, and he pulled over for a moment to close his eyes. He rested his head on the steering wheel. He didn't know the first thing about being a parent. Hell, he didn't even fully understand how to be a son. How was he going to adore these children when he was so damaged? How could he make sure that they wouldn't hate him when they were his age?

One of the boys grizzled in the back, probably disturbed at the sudden stillness. Remy took a deep breath and shoved every thought about the future out of his mind. He pulled easily back on the highway, and was surprised that it actually worked to tempt one of his sons back to sleep.It was only a few more minutes before he finally showed up at his apartment building. It wasn't very nice, compared to where his family lived, but it was cheap, and let him save at least part of the money he made.

The broken down, brick building probably needed to be torn down before it fell, he mused. He waited a few moments to pull himself together, before he actually got out of the car. He pulled the backbone of the stroller out of his trunk, and let out a small sigh. This was going to take a minute. Somehow, he managed to gently attach all three car seats back to the stroller, and walked inside.

Remy wasn't sure what would happen when Amy got there, but he did know that he would end up bruised. He was already planning on how to cover up the marks he knew would show up on his skin. For a long time, he simply tried to change the clothing that he wore, wearing only high collared, long sleeved shirts and loose slacks that wouldn't rub against the bruises on his legs. He had no doubt that Amy would lose her temper with him before she left, she always did, even if he had no idea why she was angry most of the time. His only worry, at this point, was exactly what she would do. He really hoped he wouldn't have to go to a clinic again for yet another broken bone, or busted nose. A shudder ran through his spine. Amy would probably have no problems with hurting him in front of their children. The last thing he wanted was for them to see him like that.

He didn't want to think about it right now. No, he needed to just get them to his apartment, and then, worry about the next thing. He could managed to keep himself together, if he took it one thing at a time. If he thought about everything at once, he would certainly crack under the pressure, but like this, he at least had a chance.

This entire afternoon was going to be testing. Well, he thought, half annoyed, he was due for a test sooner or later. It wasn't like the nightmares had gotten bad enough that he had to wear women's makeup to look semi- normal. It wasn't like he was having trouble remembering why he had to eat, because every bite made him feel sick. He certainly didn't have to avoid looking in the mirror so that he could at least attempt to pretend that his body wasn't scarred. 

He snorted. As much as he would have loved to pretend he was alright, he wouldn't, couldn't lie to himself. Yet another reason, a dark voice piped up from the back of his mind, for the children to be raised by someone else.

The trip upstairs was easy enough. He lived in a large, broken down apartment complex, one that he could simply blend into. He didn't bother learning anything about his neighbors. As a lawyer, he knew that it was easier for him simply not to know what was going on, rather than to know too much. That didn't mean he didn't have an ear open for interesting things, just in case that any of them did something stupid and he had to file a report on them.

The doors to the elevator opened with a small ding, and he pulled out his keys with one hand, slipping it in the lock, before opening it. He tried, carefully, not to run the stroller into the walls, which was far harder than it probably should have been. It felt awkward, and seemed to move like one of those creaking, grocery carts that were missing a wheel. Once inside, he closed his door, and pushed the stroller towards the couch.

He sat down heavily, and annoyed. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do next. Well, he supposed, introducing himself to the triplets. He opened the first of the car seats, and pulled back the visor. He looked for any type of identification for the triplet. Around the left wrist was a dark green yarn band with the initials L.R. He supposed that child was Lothario. The child had a tuft of golden brown hair, just like his own, tanned skin, and was dressed in a dark green onesies, he thought they were called, that was dirty and stained. He made a mental note to change the little boy into something clean. The child was tiny, and stirring slightly. Lothario raised one fist, and yawned widely, making Remy laugh quietly. It seemed that his oldest didn't like people watching him sleep, something he had clearly gotten from his father.

"Had a good nap, little guy?" Remy asked quietly. The child looked at him with blue eyes that matched the color of Amy's, but not the intensity. The child was curious, but didn't have a single gleam of cruelty in his clear blue eyes.

Remy unbuckled the child, and carefully lifted him in his arms. His son looked at him, and Remy looked back. Something stirred in his heart. This baby boy was his, most likely. This child, even if it wasn't his by blood, was his responsibility for the next eighteen or so years, at least.

"Hi there, Lothario, I'm your dad." He whispered, hoping not to wake his siblings. "I don't know what I'm doing right now, kiddo, but I'll figure it out. I hope so anyway. You're a big brother, and the oldest, so I'm going to rely on you to be a good example to the other two, alright?" He knew the child couldn't talk back, but, somehow, made him feel better to whisper to his son. That was a strange word. Son, this was legally his son, and somehow, he was going to have to raise these three.

Lothario stared at him, blinking confused. He shifted his oldest in one arm, and opened the other two car seats, waiting for the other two to wake up. The little girl was the smallest, and easiest to identify. There was a purple band with A.A. around her little wrist. Aslynn was the next to wake up, and he stroked her pure black hair. She was most like her mom in coloring, with pale, perfect skin and deep, dark hair. Her eyes, though, were all Remy's. The green color was identical to his. 

His eyes moved to his middle child, Theodoric Remus, was obviously Lothario's identical twin brother, with a light blue band around his wrist. He had a feeling that the two boys would be a handful later on. They looked identical. He hid a small smile at the small warmth that went through his chest.

Every bit of Remy was terrified that he was going to fail with trying to raise children. He wasn't exactly a shining example of what a man was supposed to be. He sighed to himself, and cuddled Lothario closer, curling his legs up on the light brown leather couch, and cuddled his oldest to his chest. This was going to be a long night.

He wasn't sure exactly how much time he had before the triplets mother showed up, but he knew they needed to be far away from the conflict that he knew would start up the moment she stepped foot inside.

"What do you say we try and drop you three off with grand-mère and grand-père for a little while?" He asked, knowing that the question was rhetorical. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, while making sure not to disturb his oldest son.

He had a bad feeling that his parents wouldn't take the three for the next few hours. If anything, they would encourage him to carefully allow Amy to take the kids every now and then. They didn't know anything about what had happened between the two of them, and never even suspected that he had been hurt by the sweet, beautiful, kind Amy. Not that they would have believed that he was abused by her. Remy wasn't going to allow her in their children's lives, nor was he going to be bullied by his parents to include her in any decisions regarding them. He needed to fill out the rest of the custody paperwork, and get that to a judge sooner rather than later.

Remy moved over, and stood up so that he could get the rest of the paperwork that he needed to look over before tomorrow. He needed to read the paperwork over Campton's case, over Miller, over the paperwork that Amy had forced upon him, and somehow manage to bond with the three, as much as he could, and deal with his ex. He sighed out loud, and slipped Lothario over to one arm while going over to his shoulder bag. He moved it over to his desk, nothing fancy, just a few drawers attached to a light brown desk. He had enjoyed putting the pieces together, sanding them, and painting it until it looked like a store bought desk. He had a lot of satisfaction when he looked at it.

He adjusted his oldest son in his arm, and pulled one of the folders out of his bag. He nibbled on his bottom lip for a moment. This wasn't going to work. He had yet to hold the other two, and somehow, he had to focus his attention on all three kids, and work. Great.

He stood again, and pulled the stroller over towards his desk so that he would be in his eye sight of all three without letting him forget about the kids. He strapped in Lothario and kissed his tiny hands as his oldest dozed a bit, before moving over to the second of the three.

Theodoric Remus just watched him for a moment, and Remy unstrapped him to cuddle his middle son for a few minutes. "You're going to be a handful later on, aren't you?" He asked slightly exasperated when the little boy started crying. He wasn't sure if the child just didn't want to be messed with, as he seemed content when he was left alone, or if he needed something. Remy checked middle child's diaper, and it was still dry. Maybe the little boy was hungry? He hadn't given them a bottle yet, or maybe he was just still tired. "What do you need, kiddo?" He asked, trying to figure out what was going on before the other two caught on and started crying.

Remy lifted the child fully into his arms, and started moving across the room towards the diaper bag. If the little one was hungry, then that would, hopefully, solve the problem. Funny enough, it seemed that the child calmed down when he started to walk around. He stopped, and the crying started again.

He mentally shrugged, and started to walk again, keeping the child in his arms as he managed to stumble through the steps to start making three bottles. The children would need to eat at the same time if he wanted to make things easier for himself later on. He needed to figure out their schedule, and somehow, someway, adjust it so that the children had a more in sync schedule. He had a feeling that was something Amy never bothered with. She wasn't exactly the type of person that bothered with routine, even when it was actually needed.

For a moment, he wondered if the reason that the children seemed to settle in his arms was because they weren't used to attention. He wondered if Amy had even bothered bonding with any of the three. Clearly not, if she had forced them into his custody when they didn't even know him. They had to be scared, and unsure about what was going on. He felt really bad for them, but he would make things as easy for them as possible.

He fumbled around with the bottles, trying not to drop them on himself. He didn't really feel like this was a good time to mess with the bottles, but he didn't have much of a choice. Preparing them early was probably a great idea for later on. After a few minutes, they were finally ready. He tested the bottle on his wrist, and nodded to himself. It seemed like it would be fine. He did the same with the other two, and brought all three bottles to his desk.

Theodoric had more than settled into his arms. He had started to stare up at his father with his blue eyes. Both of the twins had blue eyes, but he had noticed something interesting. Theodoric seemed to have darker eyes than his twin, with specks of green compared to his brother's icy blue eyes. They had the same golden brown hair, and tanned skin, but their eyes were the main difference that he could easily see.

Remy settled back at his desk, opening one of the files, Miller's case, and once it was spread out on his desk, Remy lifted one bottle, deciding to try and feed the middle child first. Then, his daughter would get her bottle, and made a mental note to ask if they were on solid food yet. Probably not, but they at least most likely were on baby food. He hoped they were at least.

Once he made sure that the child was sucking down his bottle, Remy moved part of his attention to the folder, while keeping an eye on his middle child.

It was an interesting read. He made a mental note to highlight certain parts. It was strange. Miller wasn't in the state, but, the woman who had been victimized had easily identified the man who had attacked her. It was strange, though, in several parts. Firstly, Miller had proof that he wasn't anywhere near the place where she had allegedly been raped. Remy made a note to check with Miller's hotel and go through the footage to see if Miller had left his room between eight pm and four am at night. Even if he had, it would have taken at least five hours for him to get there by plane, and eight by car. The woman who accused Miller, Jasmine Moore, said that he had broke into her house, and broke her phone before violating her. She said that the crime had been committed at one am, when she had been trying to sleep.

But it wasn't possible.

He knew that Moore had a relationship with Miller for five months. It ended badly, according to the notes he had already for the case. As far as he was aware, it was crazy to blame Miller for this. And, of course, there was the fact that Moore had, several times, on social media, mentioned that during their relationship, Miller had taken advantage of her three times. He had also noticed that it wasn't mentioned during their relationship, only after it was over. Miller had moved on, and found a new girlfriend a few weeks later, one that seemed happy enough, but once the rape allegations had started, Miller had been dropped faster than he could say 'I didn't do it.'

But, they had also found his DNA around Moore home. Remy doubted that it was new, and he had a feeling it might have either been falsified, or planted. He needed to get his hands on the evidence. He would do that soon enough.

Theodoric waved his fists a bit, and Remy pulled the bottle away from his middle son. There was a little bit of milk on the child's face. Remy laughed lightly, and it was echoed in a coo by Theodoric. "All done then, baby boy?"

He glanced at the clock, it had only taken the little one less than ten minutes to gobble down the bottle. He raised an eyebrow. Apparently, Theodoric was starving. He wondered why the child hadn't cried, but he didn't say anything. Instead, the younger of the twins had stayed quiet. He placed the child over his shoulder, and burped the child easily. Once he had, he settled the middle child back in his seat.

Remy made mental notes to finish feeding the triplets, and call his parents, in hopes of them taking the children for a few hours. After that, if his parents could take them, he was going to rush all three over to his parents, then buy what they needed, and try to get everything set up before they got back. He also needed to finish the custody paperwork before Amy got there, preferably.

He grabbed his daughter, and wasn't that a strange thought, in his arms, and cuddled her. He poked her in her soft belly, and smiled when she giggled. This was insane, and adorable. But, he could do this.


	4. Nancy Quinn: Reporter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. 
> 
> Wow, what a wait for a shorter chapter, eh? I can't believe it's been as long as it has, but wow, RL is crazy right now. Because of the mess that is RL, updates are going to be slower than usual. Sorry guys. I have no idea how I am going to manage anything for the next few weeks, but I'm going to try.
> 
> Sylvanius

He hung up, resisting the urge to shake. He had assumed that not telling anyone about what happened in private with Amy was a good thing. It slowly became just another secret that he would take to his grave. He wasn't about to give up, and tell everyone, especially his family, about what happened behind closed doors. All it would accomplish was getting him another lecture.

He knew, statically, that people who went through what he did, were more likely to be abused in their relationships as well.

That said, he wasn't about to listen to another lecture about how much he needed to get mental help. He wasn't alright, by normal standards, but he was stable, and he had learned how to cope with each and every thing that happened.

That said, he wasn't at all surprised that his mom had lectured him, and yelled as loudly as she had. It seemed that Amy had gotten to his parents before he could do anything. His mom had told him off for not taking care of the triplets, or his pregnant girlfriend before they were born. She blamed him for the triplets being born early. She told him how pissed she was at him for not telling her or his father about them, as if Remy had actually known about them before Amy had shown up to work. She hung up on him, telling him to call when he got his act together.

A knock at the door startled him from his thoughts. He glanced over to the car seats, and straightened his shoulders. He could do this.

To his surprise, it wasn't Amy at his door step, but a woman he didn't know, standing next to a man that he also didn't know. The woman looked far too smug for her own good. She was dressed in a long, checkered black and white skirt with a black quarter sleeved blouse. Her blonde hair was tied back in a smooth pony tail.

Next to her was a shorter gentleman dressed in a black shirt and a pair of black slacks. His blue eyes were mostly hidden behind, frankly, completely unsuitable glasses. Over his shoulder, he had a video camera, which told him this visit was from the media pigs. It was pointed at him the moment he opened the door.

"May I help you?" Remy asked, using his media smile, and blocking their view of the car seats.

Until he knew for certain what was going on with the triplets, he was going to keep quiet about them. He hoped they would stay quiet for a little bit. The last thing those three needed was to get involved in the craziness that was the media frenzy.

It might not be that bad now, but once word got out that he was defending a murder suspect, he was likely to be bombarded by the people in the media. No one liked an alleged murder suspect, but they liked their defenders even less. Add in the fact that he was also defending an alleged rapist... Well, his public opinion wouldn't be very high for a while.

He hadn't been thinking about how this would affect anyone else, because his family was more than capable of defending themselves. That said, the triplets? They were not going to be messed with.

"Are you Remus Sedgley?" The woman asked, false sweetness coating her tone.

"Yes?"

"You defended Marco Rodriguez, correct? The man who was in one of the most violent gangs ever?" The woman asked calmly.

"Allegedly in one of the most violent gangs, yes." He wasn't going to give her anything yet, if at all. Anyone that couldn't tell that he wasn't one to talk to the media was just stupid and didn't deserve his time. Especially not when he was at home already for the evening.

"Why?"

He raised an eyebrow. Why? Because it was his job? Because everyone deserved a quick and fair trial? Because he wanted to? Because he wanted to get paid? Was there even a correct way to answer that question? For that matter, what kind of question was that in the first place?

"Is there a reason you are at my doorstep?" He decided to ask, "For that matter, what station are you from?"

She gave him a sickly smile. "Is that loathing I detect in your voice? Do you, by chance, have something you don't want the rest of the world to know? Hm, Remus?"

He straightened his shoulder just a bit. "Firstly, you should know better than to come and bother someone at night. Secondly, it's only polite to introduce yourself if you expect to speak with someone. And thirdly, every single human being on the planet has things they don't want everyone else to know. You and your camera man have exactly one minute to get off of my door step before I will call the police. Do you understand my words, miss?"

"And, look at this rage, folks. Do you see what I see?" She asked the camera. "This horrible excuse for a human being is trying to defend himself, and trying to change the subject again. This is Nancy Quinn, reporting to you live with channel nine." She smiled, and waved at the camera.

Remy raised an eyebrow. He had heard of Quinn before, and frankly, it was rich that she was calling him a horrible person when she was known to interrogate children when they were at school. She followed children, and was actually known for bringing children into their parents business. She had asked the seven year old daughter of a cop how she felt knowing that her mother was a murderer for shooting someone who was holding up a convenience store. She had also asked the girl if she thought that her mother was responsible for not saving the two people that the man had killed before the cops had arrived.

The child had jumped off her school two weeks later.

"Ms. Quinn, please remove yourself from my property." And with that, Remy closed the door. This was complete insanity. She didn't even have a list of questions for him, and if that was supposed to be an attempt at an interview, it was pathetic. When the woman actually took time to prepare for an interview, he would take some of his time to respect her for it. Where she was now, was a low, not worth his time, kind of place, and that wasn't acceptable. He had done a few interviews, especially when he was just starting out the Rodriguez case, and when the decision was announced, but that was only because it was the best way to help his client's case.

This entire mess was getting more annoying by the second. He moved back over to the triplets, all three awake, and unhooked the belt from around Aislynn. Remy pulled him into his arms, and kissed her dark locks. She was so beautiful, even though she had mostly Amy's coloring and looks.

Speaking of his ex, he had to figure out how to get through the night. With some luck, Quinn would be long gone before Amy got there. If the two saw each other, or worse, Quinn could be tempted to come back up with her, then she might hear things she didn't need to hear. The last thing he wanted was anyone else to know about some of the things that went on behind closed doors.

Remy was a very private person, and there were many things that no one would ever know. He referred to those things as secrets he was going to take to the grave. Amy knew a few things that he was never going to tell anyone else, his parents knew a few things, and there were some things that only one person knew, besides him. A secret was only a secret if only two people knew it, and one of them were rotting away in the ground.

His thoughts could get dark, but he wouldn't let them right now. He didn't have time for it. He glanced at the clock, eight- fifty. It was time for the triplets to go down soon again. They've been awake for a few hours, by this point. He had spent the last few hours learning how to be a father. It wasn't easy, but he had changed their diapers, and fed them. He had changed their clothing to the sleepers that were in their bag, Lothario in green, Theodoric in blue, and his daughter Aislynn in light purple. They looked adorable and tired. His littlest one, his daughter, cooed happily.

He kissed her head, and moved her to one arm while pushing the stroller into his bedroom. The three children were going to be staying there tonight. Hopefully, they would be able to sleep through Amy's visit. He was going to attempt to get them down sooner rather than later. He twisted the doorknob to his room, and pushed the stroller inside. The room was already dark, but he knew where everything was, and didn't need the light. He laid down his daughter in her car seat, and unhooked it from the stroller, before sitting it by his bed where he could hear if they started to cry. He did the same thing for his sons, unsure how to properly speak to them.

He picked up his daughter again, and rocked her in his arms, until her piercing green eyes slowly closed in sleep. Remy kissed her forehead, before slowly placing her back in the car seat. He lifted one twin, than the other, knowing they were still awake, and gave them the same calm rocking attention that their sister got. He leaned back towards the headboard, and spent some time just holding them until they fell asleep as well. He laid back, cuddling with the two, before a knock at the door made him freeze.

Remy knew who that was. There was no way he could get lucky enough that someone else was behind the door. He had to hope that the reporter wasn't still hiding around his apartment in hopes of getting a story she shouldn't. He carefully slid off his bed, and tucked both boys into their car seats. He closed the door to his room, hoping that they wouldn't wake back up. He could do this. His hands were shaking after he buckled up the triplets again.

Honestly, he didn't want to be anywhere near that doorway. He spent a few more moments staring at the door that blocked his kids from the wrath of their mother. He hated everything about this mess. He hated that he was so scared of her. He hated that she had such a tight hold on his life, even now. If this was the first time they had seen each other, he could have, possibly, gotten away from this unharmed, but now, he doubted it would end that way.

No one else knew, but Amy had put him in the hospital several times. She had broken several of his ribs, even his left wrist before. He had always been left handed before she broke it, and was terrified that it would heal wrong, but he hadn't gone for help. She had broken his nose twice, in the beginning, and still, he did nothing. Remy had been terrified that the rage that he tried to hide would cause her death. He knew exactly how horrible his mind was. He had been frozen in rage more times than he ever told anyone. But that wasn't the sad part.

He didn't want anyone to know exactly how horrified he had been when he realized how bad things had gotten. Thankfully, she had broke up with him soon after his third hospitalization due to his ribs. She was abusive, both verbally, and physically, and she had been cheating since the first time she had actually hurt him.

But, like everything that was bad in his life, it became a secret, one that was just that he would take to his grave. It was awful, but, it what he knew how to do. He made a mental promise that he wouldn't let the triplets have the same coping method as he did. His was more something that he had learned how to do in order to save himself from shattering.

It was an unhealthy coping method, but one that he used to get through his bad years. After he had seen what he had, gone through what he had, he was more insecure with his emotions, and the way his body had developed.

If he was to take off his shirt, and look at his chest and back, he would easily be able to see the scars and burns from when he was six. The scars faded, but never left his skin. He had been surprised that anyone wanted to date him in the first place. Maybe the scars were part of why he had taken as much as he did from Amy. He didn't value himself compared to what everyone his family thought he should do. They hated everything that he thought he deserved, and they didn't understand why he was so submissive, in a way, towards whoever he was dating.

At work, he could be cold, harsher than he should have been, and when he was in the courtroom, he was confident, and comfortable. When he was in the courtroom, he was in his comfort zone, and did what he knew his family would never believe. He could argue with the best, and he won.

He considered, for a moment, to try and handle this like he would handle a case. If he could just get himself in the right mindset, he could survive this, without letting any more harm come to him. But, that wasn't going to be easy. He automatically shook, even thinking about what she would probably do to him.


	5. Amy Richards

He took a deep breath, and opened the door. He could do this. Amy Richards was standing, waiting, with her body builder boy friend by her side. He wondered, for a moment, if she treated him the same way that she treated Remy. He assumed this was Justin Borden, the man she had been cheating on him with another lifetime ago.

Borden was holding several boxes, probably of baby stuff. He couldn't help but think that both Amy and Borden assumed that he was the triplets father. Borden probably took a DNA test, and found out that he wasn't their father. Remy was probably the most obvious other choice.

And, most likely, giving up custody was Borden's idea, while throwing them to Remy at work, was Amy's idea. He wanted to cower away for a bit, until they were gone, as neither of them were particularly safe in his mind. But, for the triplets sake, he wasn't going to.

"Good evening, Ms. Richards, Mr. Borden." Remy used his calm, court tone. He was more than capable of pretending when he was on the floor, instead of cowering away. He was so ready for them to leave, but he was grateful that they had brought some of the triplets things. It meant they would have a few things that were already familiar, which would help smooth their transition into his life.

Amy seemed more surprised than Borden did, which was an interesting thought all together. He made a mental note to figure that out later.

"Where do you want this stuff?" Borden grunted out. Remy moved calmly out of the way, and opened the door wider.

"If you would kindly place the items in the living room, that would be best. I can move everything once I have a better idea of where it should go. Do either of you need assistance with bringing anything else inside?" He asked calmly. It was strange, speaking this way to someone he used to adore, but, it wasn't impossible. Hopefully, if he was able to keep calm, the others would respond the same way.

Borden shrugged lightly, and moved into Remy's apartment. He sat down the boxes and bags that were in his arms, just out of reach of the doorway. Amy, strangely, sat it down at the next open spot.

"We're gonna go get the next load." Borden told him.

Remy nodded lightly, "Do you need assistance?"

Borden shook his head. "Nah, you stay with the kiddo's. Am's and I can get the rest."

"Very well." Somehow, it seemed that the calm tone and confident posture worked. When the other two disappeared around the corner, he let out a silent sigh and allowed himself to relax. He was still shaking badly, but it was something that he had been able to hide from the other two. He knew the moment they knew exactly how scared he was feeling, he would lose. He glanced around, at the items on his floor, and sighed. Most of the boxes had the word clothes or feeding. One big box was a flat crib, still in the box. He knew that this was partly a game play, but he couldn't figure out what exactly what she was trying to accomplish.

He glanced towards his bedroom, and hid a sigh, this was going to be a bit of a mess for the next few days. He hid a sigh, and glanced at his desk. He was never going to be able to finish all of his paperwork, set up the triplets stuff, and somehow manage to take care of three children. With some luck, once he finished the cases, hopefully quickly, he would lower his case load for the next few years. Murder cases would take, what, about a year of a mess. Hopefully, the rape case would be over quickly, and he could dismiss this entire mess for Miller.

Then there was the possible case that Whitcomb wanted him to try and take care of. This entire mess was going to take forever to sort out. Court cases were going to be a pain to work with, especially the custody cases. He leaned against the doorway, and sighed again.

When he heard the other two coming back, he checked himself, and straightened up, hid his shaking hands. By the time they came into view, each with their hands full of boxes and bags, he was back to the court room version of himself. Calm, cool, calculating, collected. He nodded as they got closer, and grabbed several bags from Amy so she could balance the box she was holding under them better. He maneuvered around the dropped boxes so that he could place the bags on his couch. That way, he hoped, it would be easier for him to start putting things up. He glanced around the room, making sure that everything was out of the other two's way, before nodding to himself. This wasn't that bad.

It took another half hour for everything to be brought in, and by the time it was, his entire apartment was a mess. He mentally said goodbye to any thoughts of sleep. There was just so much to do.

Once they were done, though, he thanked them, and sat on the floor, pulling the first bag towards him. He wanted to organize everything by use and need tonight before he got back to work. His mental alarm clock told him he still had around two hours, probably less, before the triplets woke up. To his surprise, neither Amy nor Borden left right away. They seemed to be waiting for something, what it was, he didn't know, but that wasn't anything new.

"Is there something else I can help you with?" Remy finally asked after twenty minutes of sorting through clothing. He had found several things that he was definitely putting the triplets in before they out grew them. He had also noticed that everything was color coded. He wasn't sure if he liked that or not. Children should be able to wear whatever they wanted to. He wasn't sure if Lothario had ever worn anything other than green, which was just sad. But, it made it easier for him to know which child had which items.

His favorite find was a set of three different plushies, a blue dolphin, a purple fox, and a green wolf. They were adorable, even if they weren't exactly what he had been expecting for the triplets. He made a mental note to give the three their plushies as soon as their mother left.

"Actually," Amy purred out, "Yes, there is. We, that is, Julia and I, have both decided that since you are trying to be a big shot lawyer now, you can take care of your own burdens. We have been holding down everything since your children were born, and we will never pay another cent towards them. Just make sure you're in court on the twenty- sixth, so that their custody will be transferred to you."

He raised an eyebrow. Julia? What did his ex, the one he dated for about three months before he and Amy got together, have to do with anything?

"She wanted your child, Remus." Amy told him calmly.

That was a surprise. Julia Michaels wanting a child? Please, the girl was so body obsessed, she wouldn't be able to allow herself to get pregnant. Besides, he only had sex with her once. She had been on the pill, and he had used protection. It wasn't foolproof, granted, but it should have been enough. Besides, that was, what, almost three years before? She had to have a new victim, boyfriend, by this point.

"You didn't know?" Borden asked, incredulously. "Seriously, dude? She got IVF, and got pregnant like, what, hun? Two years ago now? Two and a half? She has a two year old twin daughters that she's been telling everyone is yours."

"It's not." He knew that much. The chance of him having one child was strange enough, but five in the span of a day? No, he wasn't going to deal with that right now. Besides, even if Julia had been stupid enough to get pregnant outside of a relationship, there was no way the kid was his.

He felt bad for her daughter, daughters?, but it was the truth. He had been shocked that Amy had his children, but that was at least possible, as they didn't exactly abstain in their relationship. Julia, though, well, the chance of her being pregnant was astronomical, and being pregnant with his child was even less.

"She is, Rem." Amy told him, enjoying the look of distress that he couldn't exactly hide in his eyes. "Jules is going to be coming over tomorrow with the paperwork to give your daughter to you, and to keep that little beast away from the rest of us. I know Julia doesn’t want the girl anymore, and if you don't take her, she is probably going to be placed for adoption, or just abandoned outside a firehouse or something."

That was just cruel. She knew, just like he did, that Remy would never allow anyone to abandon a child of his own blood. Even worse, he wasn't sure if he would even take a paternity test, because if it came back negative, there was no telling what either Julia or Amy would do to their children. He brought a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, and held back a sigh. At least he knew part of what Amy was holding over his shoulders now. It was bad enough that he had never paid for his children, never mind that he didn't know about them, but with allegations of abuse and neglect that Amy could send over at any time, well, he was going to be walking on eggshells for a long, long time.

He had a bad feeling that he was going to be needing a lawyer sooner rather than later. He mentally went through his options, trying to pick someone that he knew wouldn't bring up a lot of fuss later on, but his mind went blank. "She only has one daughter, correct?" Remy knew that the chances of him being able to handle one child were slim, let alone five. If Julia had multiples, which was a definite possibility if she had IVF, plus the triplets, he was going to be overrun in bills overnight.

"Twin daughters, actually, but she's probably going to keep the older of the girls to, you know." Amy responded with a shrug.

He did, indeed, know. Julia had a sick obsession with him, which was one of the reasons he had a restraining order against her, but that wasn't the scary part. The scary part was what she would do to make sure he never forgot about her. She was messed up in the head, obviously, if she thought he was going to leave a daughter, any child really, with Julia when she happily was going to attempt to force custody of the other on him. No, if what Amy was telling him was true, then they were both coming home with him.

Remy hid a grimace. This was going to be a disaster. No, this was going to be worse than that. He couldn't fight for custody of a child he didn't know was his, and still work, raise four other children, and fulfill his own dreams. It was selfish, but he didn't really have much of a choice in the matter, though. If Julia tried to force his hand, then he was going to fight back with everything he had.

But first, he was going to take a paternity test. As much as he hated the thought of leaving a child in the care of the state, it was the responsible thing to do. Doctors visits would have to happen soon too, just to make sure they were all healthy.

He hid a sigh, this was going to be a very busy few weeks.

"Anything else I should know about?" He asked, hiding most of the exhaustion from his tone. Remy really hoped not, he wasn't exactly capable of handling any other surprises for a while. Speaking of, he still needed to finish looking over the files for Miller and Campton's cases before their meetings. If he made sure everything was ready and everyone was up by eight, then maybe he would be able to convince his father to watch the triplets while he was in the first of the meetings, and maybe even the second one as well. His mother wouldn't watch them, she was too angry to listen to him, but his father had always been level headed, and would probably enjoy the chance to meet his grandchildren.

That said, he had to wonder how this mess had happened in the first place. It was almost as if someone was trying to weaken him more by trying to force more and more weight on his shoulders. He knew that wasn't the case, even if it seemed like it. This entire mess was caused because he was stupid enough to date the two women, and stupider still to trust them to let him go when it was over.

Sure, they didn't part on the best of terms, but that wasn't an excuse for not telling him for so long. If the triplets were almost seven months old, and his twins were almost two...

Enough, Remy, he chided himself, you don't know anything yet. You know how to handle this, and freaking out isn't the right way to do it.

He took a deep breath and pushed the panic trying to fog his mind back into the abyss. He could do this. If they were his, then he supposed he was going to have to deal with the consequences of being stupid, and raise the children.

"If you two will excuse me," Remy started, feeling the calm take over his panicked mind, "I have several other things I need to attend to this evening. I will indeed appear at the custody case on the twenty- sixth, Ms. Richards. Have a good evening, Mr. Borden." He carefully guided them out of his apartment, and locked it tightly.

He was alright, no one had hurt him, no one had tried to take his life, the triplets were safe, for now, but it wasn't enough. He felt himself falling into a panic attack, and he wasn't sure he could suppress this one. There was just too much. Everything was too much to handle right now. He felt like he was going to die, and suddenly, there wasn't enough air in the room.

Remy felt himself falling to his knees, and tried to calm down before this became a full- fledged panic attack. He didn't have time to pick himself back up, like he normally had to do after one of these attacks. He had three little lives depending on him keeping his cool.

A sharp cry broke him out of the panicked haze, even if it was only a bit. He couldn't afford to panic right now. He had to take care of the triplets. One of them needed him. He didn't know them well enough to know who was crying, but which ever child it was needed him to be strong and stable, to be their rock when they were scared and upset.

He forced himself up off the ground, exhaustion clouding his mind now that the panic had been mostly subdued. He wasn't sure how this was going to work, and he was confused as to how he was supposed to become a good parent when he was so broken, but for now, he was going to have to be enough for the three.

He had to be.

Remy grabbed the three plushies he had found earlier, and brought them into his bedroom. Lothario was upset, his little fists waving through the air as he cried. He had woken his brother and sister, but, that was something he was going to have to deal with later. He unbuckled his oldest, and scooped him up in his arms. Once he had done so, he pulled over the green wolf from where he had set it on the bed, and waved it in front of his oldest child's face. Lothario immediately relaxed once he saw the toy, and was quickly pacified by both his father rocking him, and the toy. He gave Theodoric his dolphin, and Aislynn her wolf, in hopes of keeping both children calm and quiet for the next little while.

He slid back on his bed with his oldest son laying on his chest and waiting for him to fall back asleep. He wasn't exactly out of things to do, having a to- do list a mile long, or so it felt, but he didn't want to leave his oldest son just yet.


	6. Fishing for Secrets

Remy took a deep breath and straightened his suit jacket. It was time for his ten o'clock meeting, his first of the day. He was led further into the police station to one of the interrogation rooms in the back. He heard that the officers had left his client in the room since he had surrendered and been charged.   
He knew this entire thing was simply stall tactics, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This, honestly, was one of the most pitiful stall tactics he had ever seen.   
Casey Campton was an attractive man under normal circumstances. But, this, being charged with not one but five murders, meant that the man wasn't at his best. The man looked terrible, with several days worth of growth randomly spotting his face. His steely blue eyes were red rimmed, and his dark hair was matted, hanging in limp, dark, curls to just below his chin. The hope that echoed in the man's eyes when Remy walked in was simply pitiful.  
"Good morning, Mr. Campton. My name is Remus Sedgley. I was called in by your sister, Joanna." Remy greeted calmly. "Officer, thank you very much for guiding me here. I need a few minutes alone with my client, if you don't mind." He waited until the door had closed, before taking a seat across from his client. He waited until his notepad had been placed on the table, and his pen was in his hand.  
"I am going to be honest with you, Mr. Campton. This case, and by that I mean you being held for your ex's case, is frankly going to be difficult to explain away. The only tie they have right now is the similarities in which your ex passed away, and the way the other victims were killed. If we are going to win this, I am going to be a hundred percent honest with you. In return, I expect you to be honest with me as well. I do not want to be surprised by anything the prosecution has to say. I believe we can win this with honesty. But, if I need to change my strategy and tactics, I need to know now." He paused for a moment, taking a bit of a breath, before glancing at his note pad again. "As I mentioned earlier, my name is Remus Sedgley, and I will be partnering with you to make sure that we will get the innocent vote. If you play by my rules, we have a good chance. Now, tell me everything about yourself."   
It seemed like a strange request, but without some kind of background, he wouldn't be able to read the other man as well as he should. Remy spent the next few hours getting a basic feel for the man, only interjecting when he wanted clarification on a topic. Campton lied about several things, Remy noticed, slightly amused. He was expecting it, of course, because what human didn't?  
The lies themselves were interesting, fabricated to make Campton feel more comfortable. They were partly created by remembering someone else's tail, probably someone the man idolized. What wasn't an exaggeration was the dismissive way that he mentioned his ex's. They were a side note in the twenty one year olds life, rather than something more like a bullet point. Remy had to hand it to the guy, he had dated a lot. Probably, he mused, because Campton was the type to be attractive for his own good from a young age.   
He resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at the sheer number of names that the man could remember calling his own. Name after name, story after story, spilled off Campton's lips. That wasn't accounting for the names that had been forgotten with time.   
Then, something changed. Campton got to Victoria Black's name, and choked. The sixth victim and the reason that Campton was suspected for the other five murders as well. When Campton spoke about Black, his voice got soft, and fond. There was something in the man's eyes that hadn't been there for the other girls that he had spoken about before this.   
Victoria Black was fiery, stubborn, creative, intelligent, loving, sarcastic, flawed, and kind, yet in Campton's eyes, she was perfect. Casey Campton had been in love with Victoria Black, deeply, passionately, stubbornly, head over heels in love. Then, he told Remy about the fight. Victoria was so uncertain that Campton actually loved her, that he had changed his way. Victoria and Campton got in a huge blow up fight, and they broke up.  
Campton hadn't been scared of being caught by the police, or even of this whole process. No Casey Campton, womanizer extraordinaire, was falling to pieces because his last words to the woman that he loved were words of scorn that Campton could never apologize for.  
For once in his life, Remy felt jealousy for Campton's love and sorrow that he would never speak to the incredible sounding woman. Campton may have lied a bit, and exaggerated, but Remy had no doubt at all, that the man's affections were sincere.   
That said, there were a few details that didn't make sense. There were just a few things that didn't add up. Remy wasn't sure why, but there was a strange doubt in his mind.   
Remy continued questioning the man, and carefully didn't let any emotion show. He needed to be treating this care as he possibly could. In this case, he did notice that there was something strange, but as long as he kept quiet about it, he wouldn't influence anything. A part of him wondered if the prosecutors would send a novice like himself. It would make it easier to tear their arguments apart. He didn't need to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Campton was innocent. It was the other side's job to prove that Campton had killed the six victims.   
Depending on how he played this, and if the only evidence was circumstantial, then he could handle this easily. Indeed, this case was going to depend on how the other team played. Being on the defense was fine, but it wasn't his preferred method to fight with. He needed to find something that would prove Campton's innocence, unless, of course, he wanted to spend the next six months or so fighting this. Which was something he might have to do anyway.   
Being on the defense was fine, but it wasn't his preferred method to fight with. He needed to find something that would prove Campton's innocence, unless, of course, he wanted to spend the next six months or so fighting this.

Most attorneys would be asking themselves if their client was innocent or guilty, but in this case he couldn't help but think that it was a bit of a mix. He knew for certain that the man hadn't killed the first five women. He didn't doubt that for a moment. No, where he was having a bit of trouble was if he killed his ex. Not that it really mattered. He was being paid to make the man look innocent, so that's what he was going to do.

It was slightly ironic that his exhaustion from the previous night was keeping him from caring one way or the other. Thankfully, he always videotaped his interviews, as well as taking notes. 

Remy nodded to himself. He had everything he needed for today. “Thank you for your cooperation Mr. Campton.” 

He nodded to the man, before letting himself out. He chatted up the clerk on the way out, a sweet, but naive brunette who, in his opinion, shouldn't have been working a job like this. It was easy enough, after a few moments, to make sure he got a meeting with the prosecution a month later. He really hoped, by then, everything would make more sense. He also set up another meeting with Campton. 

Seeing as he had yet another meeting in place for just an hour from now, he considered what to do with his time. After a moment of debate, he decided getting work done was the best way to spend his time. He did practically live in his car, after all, and it would help make sure everything ran smoothly when the time came. 

Remy was mentally thankful that both of his clients were in the same jail, at this point, it made things easier. If he was lucky, he knew that the rape case could easily disappear once the flaws were pointed out. Or, so he hoped. 

He really didn't feel like debating with morons. To be fair, Campton hadn't been nearly as insane as his other clients, going over what he dubbed as the facts, and only using his tone to tell the tale. Honestly, Remy was half expecting the man to be hysterical, or disturbed, but he seemed perfectly fine.

Which might have led to Remy’s own feeling of unease, he admitted to himself as he unlocked his car. The man's emotions were all over the place, granted, but not at all where someone would expect a man being held for the murder of his ex and several other women would act. 

He shook his head lightly, this was a mess, but he had other things he needed to figure out before he could fully act one way or another. He unlocked the door, and stared down at the seat. His mind started to race as he fought back a panic attack. What was causing this? A match, hand crafted and stamped with a small red and blue Cardstone stamp. 

It was just a match, and most likely someone trying to play a joke on him. No one knew what this type of match signified to him. He had never mentioned to anyone about the matches. No one, that is, except for a scared six year old boy and those children that didn't survive. 

Few people knew who he had been, more specifically, who the law thought he was. Remy, at just six years old, had survived something that no child ever should have to go through. He had been stupid, innocent, and naïve, and at a park when it started. 

He hadn't known better when a man had approached him, asking if he had seen his border collie. Stupidly enough, he had offered to help find the dog. He hid a shiver. This, a stupid, hand crafted match, was a hidden reminder that he had done his best to heal from, and forget. 

He really didn't want to deal with this along with everything else. He couldn't hide the anxiety that tried to rise up in his gut. He had kept the brand of match away from law enforcement. He had been careful to keep certain aspects quiet from everyone else. No one had ever heard the words Cardstone matches leave his lips. Some things, he knew, were meant to stay buried.

Someone cleared their throat behind him, and he turned quickly, carefully keeping his expression neutral. Exasperation made him sigh as he saw the two people behind him. "Yes Ms. Quinn?" He managed to ask. He kept his hands out of sight, so that no one could see the shaking. He couldn't afford to let his guard down around the reporter. 

"Well, hello to you too, Mr. Sedgley." Nancy Quinn quipped. 

"I do not have the time to answer your questions right now." He sighed. "I have several things to do."

"Well, I'm sure you have a few moments to tell me what's on your mind, right? I mean, you sure seemed to be thinking about something very important. Surely, you can share something, right?" She purred. 

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Nancy was dressed in a blue and black dress than went just above her knees, with her blonde hair tied back. If she was less of a reporter, he would say she was a beautiful woman. He could admit that, even if only to himself. Not that he would ever say anything to anyone else. No, she was judgmental, irritating, and way too interested in a scoop.

Remy raised a calm eyebrow. "Now, now, you know better than that, Ms. Quinn. I am under confidentiality agreements. Besides that, I am not really on any cases that you would be interested in." 

Well, that wasn't true, even a little bit, but he was a lawyer, after all, lying and manipulating the situations were what he did best. He knew the reporter would tear into him if she knew what he was doing, case wise. After all, everyone followed murder cases, and, of course, rape cases were something everyone loved to hate. 

But, he was telling the truth when he said he couldn't tell her anything. For that matter, he wouldn't ever break confidentiality. He couldn't, and wouldn't ever do anything to break the agreement, even if , legally, he wasn't under the confidentiality agreement as of yet. Well, there was the blanket agreement that the firm had him sign, but it wasn't specific, so, if he wanted to, he could get around it. 

But, sadly for her, he liked his job. 

He glanced at his watch, mentally cursing when he realized how little time he had left, and, ignoring the camera that was still pointed at him by Quinn's lap dog, reached into his car for another brief case. He swapped the two out, before locking his car back. "If you don't mind, I have a meeting that I need to attend. I'm sure you can find some other person to speak with. Good day, Ms. Quinn." He made sure his car was locked again, before moving around the two and back towards the building. He had work to do. Sure, he still had twenty minutes, but he needed to set up before hand. 

"Mr. Sedgley!" Quinn yelled, "You can't just leave me here! What about my story? Don't you have something to say about it?" 

"Good day, Ms. Quinn." He responded calmly, again. What story, he didn't know, but he knew better than to think about whatever she might have done to bring a riot around at this point. It could have been worse, he thought with a snort. It could have been something about the match. 

Even if Quinn got suspicious, and looked into his car, she wouldn't know what the match meant to him. She wouldn't ever be able to trace him to the scared little boy he had been. 

There was a reason, after all, that he took the last name Sedgley instead of the name the rest of his family had. His parents, sister, and brothers were all Graysoni, but the name was too well known, and thus the change. He had taken his father's mother's maiden name. His grandmother, Alice Graysoni nee Sedgley, had willingly offered use of her last name when she heard his dilemma. There was a reason, he thought with a small mental smile, that she was his favorite grandparent. No one outside of the business world would have respected a Graysoni, but a Sedgley? They still had enough prestige to be useful to him, but not enough that he would have been hounded at work or anywhere else due to paparazzi.

If Quinn ever wanted to find out about his connection with Theodore Devon III, she would first need to look up Remus Lothario Graysoni, not Remus Sedgley. He had worked hard to leave his old life and name behind, and he wasn't about to let some crazy reporter drag it all back up.

He didn't really think about what could happen if anyone ever connected Remus Sedgley to Remus Graysoni. Chaos, he was sure, but he had other things to worry about than a woman trying to get a good scoop. 

Right now, he had to speak with an alleged rapist, and figure out if the man was as horrible as everyone seemed to think he was. It was time for him to meet Trace Miller face to face.


	7. Names Denial

Every person had certain tells, things that would give them away. Most people didn't realize it, but no one knew all of their own tells unless they knew themselves very well. That said, Remy was about ninety percent certain that Trace Miller was telling the truth. The man was honestly terrified, ignoring the bluster, and uncomfortable with the situation. Miller truly felt bad for his ex, the woman who had allegedly been raped. Miller was probably the least threatening person in the world.

Trace Miller was short, maybe five and a half feet tall, thin as a twig, with a mop of messy, light brown hair, and thick wired glasses.

The first time Remy saw the man, he couldn't help but stare for a moment. This was the man that the police accused of being a serial rapist? This man, according to the supposed victim, held her down and raped her? Remy seriously doubted that. This man was obviously a case of fraud. Maybe the girlfriend got dumped, and decided to cry rape? All Remy knew was that this was going to be a case of he- said- she- said, unless the prosecution had something that he couldn't easily rip up.

He honestly couldn't understand how anyone accuse Trace Miller of being a rapist. Until, of course, he opened his mouth. Then, Remy understood. The man was all sharp comments and cruel remarks, while being irritating as hell.

But, sadly, being irritating didn't mean that the man had actually done anything wrong. In fact, if anything, the bluster was telling. He was almost positive the man was simply lashing out in the only way he could. Remy considered for a moment, simply telling the man to hit him, but decided against it. As much as he knew it would help the shorter man, it wouldn't look good for either of them if Remy suddenly had a black eye after leaving the office. 

That said, Remy purposely cut the meeting a bit short, because he was seriously tempted to smack the attitude right out of the man. 

His mind was swirling as he drove to pick up the triplets. His meeting with Miller had been very interesting, if irritating, and he had finally figured out what had been bothering him about Casey Campton. All and all, it had been an extremely useful and productive day. Now, though, Remy was looking forward to relaxing in his apartment with the triplets. 

He knew it would take time for them to be fully comfortable around him, and probably just as long for him to become relaxed around them. He had yet to figure out what he was going to do with the triplets. A part of him considered taking the next week or so off. He had Sunday off anyway, and it wasn't like he couldn't afford the time off. With Mr. Whitcomb being who he was, the man would happily let him take the time to get his mind straight. Besides, he didn't have any meetings set for the following week, and as long as he went to ask the man on Monday, he doubted his boss would have a problem with it. 

There was something that he couldn't quite kick from his mind though. The match. Currently, it was in the door on the driver's side, and he couldn't figure out how whoever it was, had managed to get their hands on a match from a company that went out of business over a decade ago. He assumed someone was trying to connect him to his birth name, but he wasn't going to make it that easy for them. 

At first, his father, and the rest of his family for that matter, had been extremely hurt when he informed them that on his eighteenth birthday he was changing his name. His grandmother, though, had simply smiled and asked if he wanted to use her birth families name. She had later told him that she wasn't sure how everyone else could have been surprised. She had guessed when he had told them what he was going to school for. 

As everything was done legally, and the judge was more than understanding, he had been given permission to go by another name, Remus Sedgley. He supposed that was a part of everything that he didn't exactly want to tell anyone. Changing his name was enough for him to deny everything that he had been. 

He slowed down as he got closer to his father's home. He really, really hoped that his father was home alone, and he wasn't going to be ambushed the moment he entered the home. His siblings, strangely enough, still lived at home, which he understood. He had grown up very spoiled, just like his siblings, but he had lived through things that they would never understand. He was distant from his sisters and brother. It was just a part of his attempt to cope. His relationship with his mother, though, was worse. She had just wanted him to get over everything that had happened. She thought he was making a big deal over nothing and simply trying to get attention. 

Not that it made much sense, seeing as he didn't talk about it, or allow anyone to know any details that weren't completely necessary. 

Remy let out a long, slow breath. He was freaking himself out over nothing. He needed to focus on the triplets right now. He needed to figure out how he was supposed to raise these three, and still work, figure out everything else work wise and personally, and get those results for the paternity test. 

That said, he wasn't in the mood to deal with his family right now. His father was the only person in his family that didn't drive him completely insane. He couldn't see it when he was a child, but now, he could tell just how spoiled his entire family had become. Everyone knew who the Graysoni family was. Everyone knew them as the tech company owners that appeared out of nowhere almost forty years ago. They had become the leaders in robotics, which was amusing, because Remy was probably the least tech savvy person on the planet. He may have been born into the world of riches and technology, but Remy was far too stubborn for him to take up his place at the company. 

His parent's home was huge, mostly pure white with large walls made of glass. He knew the entire house like the back of his hands, but that didn't mean he could hack anything, or build anything. No, that was something only his father and older brother had picked up fluently. His sisters were good with technology, but they were nowhere near the level of his brother and father. 

The gardens were large, filled with white and yellow roses, hedged around the gates of the property. There was a large, marble fountain straight through the large, white gates, with a dolphin carved into the front. The manor wasn't tall, per say, only three floors, but it was a long, wide, home divided into wings for each member of the family.

He knew that everyone who knew him wouldn't believe that he, the low tech lawyer, was the son of a large corporate head. Sure, it was his grandfather who started the company, but it only really took off after his father took over. It was strange how different his life had been from birth to now. It was partly because of his parents that he wasn't drowning in debts, but he worked as well. His parents paid for half of his schooling, but he did the rest. He managed to graduate from college, partly on his own dollar, while working two jobs back in the day. 

The internship had been a life saver, and because he had done so well during it, he had managed to snap a special spot at the firm that was as far from his family as they could be. If he hadn't gotten it, he doubted he would be anywhere near stable right now. 

He rolled his neck and turned off his car, sliding the keys out of the ignition. He could do this. There were a few things that he tried not to think about, and dealing with his family was one of those things. He was tired, and honestly, just wanted to turn around and go back to his small apartment. Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about that. He needed to get his children, despite the fact that he wanted to sleep. Remy most certainly needed to bond with his children, and until he had gotten to know the triplets, he needed to make sure that they felt safe with him. The easiest way to do that was to spend time with them.

Remy got out of the car, and closed the door behind him. He missed his children, funny enough. He was scared of everything, especially of messing the three little ones up, but he missed the triplets. He stretched his arms over his head, and yawned lightly. He hoped the triplets were tired, and were ready to sleep when he got home. He hoped this would be a calm, quiet night. 

He moved towards the manor, and tried not to freeze when the door opened. 

"Ah, Young master Remus. Are you here to pick up the little mistress and masters?" Their butler asked, moving so that he wasn't blocking the door. Edward Jameson was a decent man, cold, quick witted, and yet extremely protective of Remy's family. Edward had taken a bullet for Remy's mother before. He was loyal to them, and would never give away their secrets. 

"Hey, Edward." Remy waved lightly, "Is my father with the children?" He asked calmly. He hoped that his father was alone with the triplets, but he wasn't holding his breath. 

"Indeed, young master. Mistress Scarlett, young Mistresses Violet, and Jade are with Master Jairus and the little masters and mistress." Edward told him, gesturing towards his father's lounge. 

Remy resisted the urge to groan. This was going to be a big pain. Both his parents, and two of three sisters, in one room was enough to give him a headache just thinking about it. The only good part was that Amber and his brother, Romulus, weren't there. Three sisters, and a brother were more irritating than any other people in the world. 

Sadly, he knew he had to straighten up his shoulders and go get his children. If he didn't do it now, he wouldn't do it any time soon. He had to do what was best for his children. He had to be grown for at least the next half hour. He could do this. He had done this. Hopefully, he could do this the same way that he had dealt with his abusive ex. That said, Remy knew that this entire mess was his fault, in the sense of the fact that he had never stood up for himself. 

Those around him, family wise, never saw who he had become. To them, he was still the anti- social, extremely quiet, child that he had become after six years of age. They still knew him as the child who had nightmares every night. But he wasn't the same person. Nowhere near. He had gotten people skills, gained a sense of humor, and had grown up to become a bit of a hard ass at work, and a successful, budding lawyer.

He took a deep breath, cooled his emotions, and opened the door. As expected, his family was already gathered, mother and sisters sitting stiffly on one of the dark leather couches. 

"Remus, dear." His mother greeted with a frosty nod. He tilted his head in greeting, eyes scanning the room for the triplets. He found two of them in the corner, sleeping peacefully in their car seats. The third, his youngest son, was awake and looked bored. 

Remy walked up to the car seat, and scooped up the child in his arms. "Hey baby boy." He muttered, nuzzling the child's soft hair. Theodoric cooed quietly, and he smiled lightly. "Have you and your siblings been good for grand-père?" 

He cuddled the baby for a second, before attempting to put the boy down. Theo grumbled the moment he was lowered. Message received, he thought with a small chuckle. So, with his youngest son in his arms, he turned to his family. "Did they behave today?" He asked his father, ignoring his mother and sisters for the moment.

"Lothario and Aislynn did." Jairus told him with a small chuckle. "That little boy in your arms, however, has refused to sleep or drink his bottles today. He's just as stubborn as his papa is."

Remy raised an eyebrow. Theo hadn't been cuddly, per say, the previous night. He wasn't fussy really, and he didn't refuse to eat. Then again, who knew what their mother had done to them. He glanced around for a moment, before his father passed Remy the bottle he had clearly tried to feed the child just minutes before. He tested it, just to make sure that it was still warm, before settling the child in one arm.

Normally, or the night before last at least, the child had been way more independent than his daughter or eldest, but Remy figured Theo just wanted to be cuddled a bit. Secretly, he was more than fine with it. He was a bit worried about the boy. He really didn't expect the child to bond with him that quickly.

"Remus, dear heart," His mother started in a coo. Remy resisted the urge to tense up. His mom only called him that when she thought he had completely screwed up. "Your father and I need to speak with you about something. Take a seat, please." The last word was more of an afterthought, telling him that this was less of a request and more of an order.

He sat easily on the only open seat, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose I can spare a few moments." Theo seemed to be dozing in his arms, and Remy was loathe to wake the child just yet. He knew that most people would have been confused about how he and his family interacted. He was more than aware he was warmer with his bosses and coworkers than he was with his family, besides, maybe his father and butler. Those two were distant with him, but far warmer than with his mother and sisters. Even his brother he was fairly neutral with. 

"We, that is, your father and I, have been discussing your situation, and frankly, we are both appalled by your behavior. You have proved to both of us that you would be an unfit parent. So, either you can sign over your rights to your oldest sister, who has kindly offered to raise them. You can legally change your name back to Graysoni, and thus, have a family again. Your fears, as important as they were to you, are worthless nowadays. That man is dead, dear, and it's been almost two decades since it happened. While It will always be important to you, it's not important to the rest of the world, nor is it worth hiding away from your family and your heritage. I'm ashamed of your reactions to this entire situation. You never told any of us about these children, and if they are yours, which a sweet woman like Amy wouldn't lie about, then that means you have made our grandchildren into bastards. Our third, fourth, and fifth grandchildren are bastards because you couldn't keep your chastity. We may or may not have two other grandchildren, and you never mentioned it. I don't know what you think you're doing, Remus, but it needs to stop, and you need to get yourself together and realize that you are not properly equipped to deal with the children. Let's just go to the courthouse and get your custody transferred, alright?" 

He couldn't believe his ears. This was ridiculous. They really thought he was going to give up his children, change his name, and move back home to continue the happy little family that the reporters saw? "Are you finished?" He asked quietly. This was the reason that he spent maybe an hour with his family in the last year. This was the reason he was distant with his family. 

His father sent him a sympathetic look, staying quiet. If he had his way, he would never get involved with his mother and sisters again. Rage coursed through his veins. They thought he would just give up his children? To his older sister that was just as screwed up as the rest of the family. 

Remy waited until she nodded, before responding. "Alright, firstly, no. My name is Remus Sedgley, and I have been accepted by grandmother's family. I have worked hard to get where I am, and I agree, it is inconvenient having to think about anyone other than myself, but, let me be the first to say that they are mine, and if I have to talk to some of my coworkers to make sure that my children stay with me. Thirdly, you would have to be completely insane to believe that I would even think about messing up these children by leaving them with any of you. They are my children, and I'm going to raise them how I see fit. I am now a Sedgley, and so are my children. I'm not going to change my name, or their names. They were born as Sedgley's and that’s how they will be raised. Now, I need to be heading back to my home. I bid you goodnight." He nodded and stood, before pausing a moment, and meeting his father's eyes with mirth dancing inside. "Besides, I don't feel like messing with the paperwork right now."


	8. Divided Custody

His ears were still ringing from his mother's shrieks. How she was surprised he was keeping his children, he didn't know. Remy had always been very possessive, and these were his children, his flesh and blood. He wondered how low his mother's picture of him must have been if she thought that he would just give them up. He wondered how stupid she thought he was to agree to let any of his siblings actually take custody of his children, especially long term.

If it had been an offer of help, he might have accepted, but as it was, only his father was allowed by him to watch the triplets.

He loaded them into his car, completely silent and ignoring his family trying to speak to him. He had never wanted them, that was true. He had never, ever, thought about having children. Now, strangely, couldn't imagine his life without them. It was almost scary how quickly he had bonded with them.

A day ago, he wasn't a parent, he was a bachelor for life, on the brink of breaking into the world of law. He thought, with a sigh, how strange things had become in less than forty- eight hours.

He settled into the driver's seat, and leaned his head back. His eyes slipped closed for a few seconds, and just rested for a moment, just long enough for him to get a grip on his mind. A knock on the glass startled him from his thoughts. His heart almost beat out of his chest. Of all the things he was expecting to see, his butler, Edward, looking at him apologetically, wasn't even on the list. Remy rolled the window down, and resisted the urge to sigh.

"What is it Edward?" Remy asked with a small sigh. He really didn't want to deal with anyone else right now, least of all the man that had been forced into the shadows as he and the others grew up. The man had been close to his family, entering as the new butler when Remy had been six, after his incident that he refused to think about, and had been loyal to the family ever since. Which, normally, would be a good thing, but Edward was loyal to his father, not to his mother, or his siblings, or even him. No, Edward was his father's main helper, and that was the way it always would be.

Edward cleared his throat, a strand of his white hair falling into his face from where it had been carefully combed back. "I have a letter from the master, young master Remus." Edward told him, meeting Remy's eyes with startling blue ones. "He wishes that you would be open to his suggestions, and even though he is aware how independent you have become, he still wishes for you to accept his help just this once. The master has promised, and in return made me do the same, not to mention it to your mother, or anyone else. It is, as always, completely legal, and already in your name should you chose to accept it. I have taken the liberty of putting the key and paperwork in the little masters' bag before you arrived."

Remy resisted the urge to sigh. "What are you talking about?" He asked, hiding the irritation from his voice. He wanted to go back to his apartment and curl up with the triplets, but, once again, it seemed that wasn't possible.

Edward pulled a crisp white envelope from his coat pocket, and handed it to the younger man. "Please think carefully before you deny his help, as we only want the best for you and the newest generation of Graysoni- Sedgley children." The man bowed lightly, before disappearing back into the house. Remy sighed loudly, some days, he really hated the other man. It was always something with the man, and while he always tried his best to get along with Edward, the man had pulled away from him, just as his father did when he was around ten.

He had always wondered if that was because he wasn't a genius like the rest of his family, or if maybe the man had a problem with him because he had shut down for a few years when everything became too much.

Either way, he had long since stopped caring what the man, or his family, thought of him. He could admit, though, that it had hurt a bit when he had been bluntly told he wouldn't be a good parent. Just because he agreed didn't mean that he wasn't at least going to try. He huffed a sigh, and started the car, pulling his phone out so that he could make sure that he called Mr. Whitcomb. The man didn't answer, like he had already expected so late in the afternoon on a Saturday, which led to him asking for the next three weeks off. He would, of course, handle any meeting he had already set up, but, at this point, he wasn't sure if he could handle much more.

Once he turned his phone off, he focused on the drive. All three of the triplets were awake, but they were silent, which caused him more worry than he cared to admit.

He needed to get them checked out by a doctor soon. He was very aware how harsh Amy could be, and how abusive she had been with him, but he had never thought that she would ever hurt a child. That didn't mean he didn't know that she would easily yell at them. They were scared of everyone, it seemed, and probably more of him than anyone else. They wanted comfort, but none of them knew if it was safe for him to give it.

Remy resisted the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel of his car. He would need to carefully never lose his temper with them around. He needed to be in complete control for the next few months, or years, however long it took them to trust him. That said nothing about the twins, if they were his in the first place. There was no way he was going to allow their mother to abandon one of them, not the other. Twins were meant to stay together at that young of an age, and the fact that Julia even thought of separating them meant that something wasn't right.

Hopefully, the courts would determine the paternity of the twins before they were either left with their mother or him.

He pulled into the parking garage for his apartment, and stretched a bit. The keys came out of the ignition and into his pocket, before he grabbed the backbone of the stroller, or whatever it was called, and assembled it. He grabbed the first of the car seats, his eldest son's, and put it in the front, attaching it with a bit of fumbling that he was glad no one saw. Lothario seemed to watch him, never taking his blue eyes off of his father. Remy leaned down and kissed the child's golden brown locks, petting the soft hair for a moment, before reaching for Theo.

His middle child was indeed watching him, just like his older twin. It was funny, in a way, how both twins looked at him like he was the most interesting thing in the world. He could admit, if only to himself, that he was more comfortable with Theo than the other two at this point, simply because the child showed exactly how much he craved his father's attention. Remy was both pleased with the fact that his son refused to behave for anyone else, and exasperated that the child felt the need to do so. Thankfully, though, Theo was more than content at the moment, just staying in his seat. The children would probably want to play on the floor when he got back to the apartment. He was fine with it, of course, and as long as they didn't fuss. Then again, they probably deserved to act like little ones for a while. They didn't really cry, and they should have been able to if they wanted to. They were still small, and if they didn't cry, he wouldn't know what they needed. It was extremely inconvenient, he thought, grabbing Aislynn out of the car and putting her on the stroller.

"Ready to go home kiddos?" He asked quietly, grabbing their bag and swinging it over his shoulder. He pushed the stroller towards the elevator, rolling his eyes when he passed the stairs. He rarely, if ever, had taken the elevator before. He liked the stairs, but it wasn't possible to go up stairs with a stroller. He had no choice but to switch to the lazier method.

The moment the elevator dinged and opened on his floor, he froze. Julie was waiting, hands crossed over her chest, with two little red headed girl standing perfectly still by her side. He could easily see the bruises on both of the girls exposed wrists, and resisted the urge to call the police just yet. As soon as she left, he would make sure both of the girls got away from her.

The first thing he noticed about the girls was their long, curly auburn hair. On one, it was done to fall in delicate ringlets down her shoulders. The other, it was more of a frizzy mess. Their hair was long, down to their lower backs, and their eyes, when one risked a glance at him, were identical to his own bright green.

Julia huffed at him. "Amy was here, I take it?" She asked, before shaking her own dark auburn hair, slightly. "Never mind, I don't want to know. Remy, this is Callista Karis Sedgley, and her younger sister, Kaira Cyrene. Girls, this is your father. Temporary custody of Kaira is already in your name. I expect you to pay me back for the stuff she has with her. We will see you on the twenty- second in court to discuss the more permanent custody. Right now, you have full custody of Kaira, and I might give you partial custody over Callista."

He very carefully resisted the urge to look at the girls, and kept his gaze on their mother. "Julia, I know-" He started slowly.

"You know nothing! Kaira is staying with you, that’s all you need to know about my daughters. She is twenty- six months old, just over two years, and all of the paperwork you need is in her bag." She snapped. "Now, Callie, say goodbye to your sister."

It was clear that the children had been raised to be very distant from each other. It made his heart ache when one twin, the well groomed one, simply nodded at her sister instead of hugging her. Neither girl said a word, and it was clear that they were both terrified of their mother. One child, Kaira he assumed, moved from her mother's side to his, and stayed just out of range of him.

She was scared of him as well, he realized after a moment. Julia grabbed her older daughters wrist and dragged Callista behind her. The child rushed to keep up and not fall over . He couldn't just do nothing. "Julia!" He yelled, leaving Kaira next to the stroller, "Wait a second!"

She stopped, and the child stumbled as Julia turned on her heel. "What?" She snapped. "What more could you possibly want from me?"

"Can Callista stay for the next few days?" He asked hesitantly, "If she's going to split her time between us, I think letting her get to know her sister and brothers will be good for her." Not that he planned on letting the child go back to her mother. No, as soon as Julia Michaels was gone, he was calling the police and probably child protective services on Julia, and possibly Amy as well. There was no way he was letting her get away with hurting his children, and he had no doubt that the twins were his. Like his youngest daughter, they had his eyes, and his facial structure. They took more after him in features than they did Julia. Sure, it was possible that she simply searched for someone who looked like him to sleep with, but somehow, he doubted it. He resisted the urge to hold his breath as she thought about his request. Either way, he was calling the police tonight, and would prefer for his daughter to be with him, instead of traumatized by the arrest of the only parent she had ever known. He wanted to wait until he knew for sure that the child would be out of the house, but he didn't want to risk her getting hurt even more.

Julia thought for a few minutes, and Remy dared not disturb her. Finally, she let out a small sigh. "Fine. But just for tonight. Callie, dear, behave for your father." He could practically hear the or else in her voice, and was positive the child could as well. When she strode past him to the elevator, and the doors closed behind her, he almost melted in relief. The girls would be safe with him, or at least, safer with him than their mother it seemed. He knelt down to eye level for the children, and gave them a small smile.

"Hello, Callista, is it? And Kaira, right? How are you two doing today?" He asked calmly. He held one hand out to the tot closest to him, Callista who feared him less than her sister seemed to. It took almost five minutes before the girl wrapped her hand around his. He gently shook her hand. "I'm your dad, it seems. You can call me whatever you want to. My name is Remy, by the way. If you'd rather refer to me as that, its fine with me. I know you're probably a little scared right now, and that’s alright. You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to. Now, what do you say to some dinner?"


	9. Darling and Sweetheart

Neither of the twins seemed to know how to react to him, but that was alright, they would learn eventually. He slowly stood up, trying not to notice how Kaira flinched away from him even further, and walked over to his apartment door. He unlocked it, and pushed the stroller inside with one arm, before entering the rooms himself. He held the door open for what felt like an hour before Callista finally came inside. Kaira took another few minutes, but she slowly followed her sister.

He let the door close by itself, and busied himself with the stroller for a moment. The triplets had been extremely good, staying quiet while he dealt with Julia, and deserved a bit of time to move around. He unbuckled Lothario first, glad that he had already cleaned up the boxes before he had taken the children to his parents this morning, and laid the baby on his back on the blanket he had set out earlier.

Lothario cooed, and lifted a hand to his father. Remy smiled lightly, but moved to Theodoric, placing him a few feet from his brother, before finally unbuckling his youngest daughter. Aislynn giggled when he placed a kiss on her head, putting her beside her brothers, and moved the stroller and car seats off to the side of the room.

"Can you two come here a moment?" He asked, hesitantly. He waited until the older twins appeared from where they had been hiding, one under the table, one behind the door, before smiling lightly. "Let me introduce you to your little siblings."

That certainly caught Callista's attention, and big tears filled her eyes. He panicked slightly, trying to figure out what was wrong with the child. He wondered if she was upset because she was no longer the only one that got attention. Then again, he didn't know anything for sure just yet. Kaira, on the other hand, appeared curious.

"This is Lothario, he's the oldest of the other twins, and his younger brother, Theodoric. Finally," He paused, scooping up his youngest daughter, "This is Aislynn." He kissed the child's forehead, before setting her back down between her brothers. He picked up Lothario next and rested the child against his chest. "This means, girls, that you are now both older sisters. I'm expecting you both to look out for the triplets, and protect them. Callista, as the oldest, it's your job to keep an eye on the little ones, and Kaira, I'd like you to help me make sure they eat correctly. I would also like both of you to help me with the little ones, while they're so small, they can get into a lot of trouble, and their big sisters ought to make sure they stay healthy, happy, and grow up safely. Do you think you can do that for me?"

He wasn't sure they really understood just yet what it was to be a big sibling, even Callista who had always been the older of the two, but, he knew, they would learn. He had a feeling that once they warmed up to him and the triplets, they would be very good big sisters.

That said, neither girl was really sure what to do with the little ones. That was alright though, neither was he. He glanced at Kaira, who had calmed down first, and hid a smile. "Do you want to hold him?" Remy asked. Lothario was less likely to stay quiet if he was hurt, and that way, Remy could correct the behavior before it actually ended in any of them in pain.

She nodded slightly, confused as to why he was being so nice to her. His heart ached at the look. Callista was still trying to throw a silent tantrum, and as soon as he settled Kaira with Lothario, he would attempt to do the same Callista and Theodoric. That way, he could bond with the youngest of the triplets, and the older twins could bond with the younger. He gestured for her to sit down on the couch, ignoring how she flinched at the slight gesture, and the hesitance he swore Julia would pay for later. Once she was seated, he carefully placed the oldest of the triplets in her arms, letting his head rest on the pillows at the sides of the couch.

Kaira clearly had no idea what to do with him, and was frozen in fear that she would hurt the little person in her arms. Remy stroked his eldest son's hair, and moved over to his oldest child. He knelt down so that he could look at her in the eyes, careful not to appear too intimidating. "None of that," He chided gently as the tears soaked her face. "If there is something wrong, I need you to tell me, darling." He told her quietly, "I can't understand crying, Callista."

Callista sniffled and backed away from him a few steps.

"What do you need, darling?" He asked calmly. "Do you want to hold Theodoric for me while I get their bottles ready?" He waited until the child nodded slightly, before nodding back. " Go climb up on the couch for me, Callista. I'll bring Theo over to you, alright?"

And that’s what she did. Callista waited, slightly impatiently for him to bring her youngest brother over to her. She looked jealous of Kaira, not noticing an identical look being sent towards her by her twin. Remy did though. He placed Theo in her arms, stroking the child's head as he had done with Lothario.

"You've got Theo, right darling?" He asked Callista. She nodded, pulling him closer. It was a sweet sight, seeing his daughters cuddling his sons. "And you've got Thario, right, Sweetheart?" Kaira startled, hearing the affection in his tone towards her as well. Clearly, she had thought he was going to be like her mother and favor one over the other, but he wasn't. Kaira nodded lightly, mirroring the movements of her twins, making him hide a smile. They were so alike, it was funny. "Good, now Alyn will be with me over there, alright? I'm going to get their dinner started. And ours as well. Do either of you like macaroni and cheese?"

Both girls looked confused at that, and Remy resisted the urge to sigh. Were they still bottle fed only? He couldn't imagine Julia doing that, and wondered if they were on baby food, or simply bottles. Well, he decided, he was going to let them try some solid food, something easy for them, and still give them bottles before they went to sleep. This way, he could slowly adjust them to normal food. They probably wouldn't be only on solids for a little while, and they might not even eat the little bit he was planning on giving them, but that didn't matter. As long as he got them chewing their food, their facial muscles would start to develop, and thus, allowing their speech to develop as well.

He did wonder if it was less that they couldn't talk, and more that they simply didn't want to talk to him, but considering how he had seen Julia interact in those few minutes, he doubted they were as far developed as he might have hoped.

Alyn, as he had mentally started calling his youngest daughter, seemed more than pleased with her father's attention, even as he stumbled over the directions to make their bottles. The was far from well practiced when it came to cooking, making a bottle, and balancing a baby on his hip. Either way, Alyn didn't seem to mind at all.

Slowly but surely, he managed to get the three bottles at the right temperature, and get the pasta in the boiling water, without dropping or hurting the child in his arms. He counted that as a win. Once the three little ones were fed and dozing off, he served the older two on paper plates. He didn't really have any type of toddler proof cutlery, and resorted to feeding them himself, a little bite at a time. Kaira was starving, it seemed, and easily devoured the entire meal, but Callista, it seemed wasn't a big fan of dinner. She was much more interested in the bottle he gave up and fed her afterwards.

He wondered when was the last time Kaira had been fed. He had to slow her down, in order to make sure she didn't get sick. The poor child hadn't known what to do when he had finally taken her plate away. She did, however, let him pick her up after the meal to clean her up.

He changed the older twins into matching white nightgowns over their diapers, and brushed their hair. It looked like they would be having his bed tonight. Next, he changed the triplets, Thario into a sleeper that he assumed his father had slipped into the bag, with the words "Best Big Brother" on the front. Theo was in a blue sleeper with "Little Prince" stated proudly on the front. Alyn, on the other hand, was in her purple onesie stating that she was "Daddy's Little Princess." with crowns decorating the sleeper. It was adorable. Sadly, he knew the three were going to have to sleep in their car seats again, as he hadn't had time to go and buy three cribs. He waited until the triplets fell into a doze, before leading the sleepy twins to his room, and moving all three car seats into the living room. He let the girls crawl into his bed, one on the left, one on the right, and pulled out a small book for him to read to them. He did so until they fell asleep.

Neither girl seemed to get along with the other, yet, but he was sure that they would soon enough. That said, he knew he would need to find a new place to stay. He would have been fine in the little apartment if he had been alone, but he wasn't anymore. He had five little ones, two of which could walk, and probably start getting into things he didn't want them to. He didn't have high chairs, cribs, or smaller beds for the older girls.

He knew that he would have to spend the next day shopping for the things that they would need, and hopefully, he could find a bigger place that he could afford.

His mind wandered to the letter that Edward had given him earlier, and held back a sigh as he grabbed it from the bag. Speaking of, he needed to look through the file that had been in Kaira's bag as well. He knew what that meant, of course, another night of no sleep. Thankfully, it was only eight, so he could still spend the rest of his evening taking care of other things. The first of which, he thought, eyes darkening, was making a phone call. When he had helped the twins change he had noticed the bruises on both of their bodies, and there was no way in hell he was letting Julia get away with that.

It had taken over an hour to tell the officers what was going on with the children. At first, the officer on the phone didn't believe him, thinking he was making this up to help possibly with a custody case, but after a few minutes, he convinced the officer. It probably helped that he told the man that he was going for a paternity test and probably taking them to the hospital the next day. The man agreed that the twins had enough for one day.

After he hung up, he made sure all five kids were sleeping. The triplets seemed to be sleeping deeply, as he had expected, but the twins were another story. Kaira was sitting up in bed, he could tell, with tears streaming down her face. Her twin was still in the world of dreams, and he walked over to the crying two year old.

"Wanna come and sit with me in the other room?" He asked her quietly. He was surprised when she jumped into his arms and tangled her legs around his stomach. He carried her out of his room, and curled up on the couch with her, stroking his daughters long auburn locks. "It's alright, my angel. You're safe, here, sweetheart. I'm here." She sobbed into his chest, body heaving and shaking. He felt his heart break. There wasn't much he could do besides comfort her. He had to admit, he never heard a child crying like this. This wasn't sadness, or being scared of monsters under your bed. This was the terrified sobs of a child forced to see things that no child ever should. His heart ached for his girl, and he simply held her and whispered until she fell into an exhausted sleep.

She would heal, he knew that, he just didn't know from what. At two years old, he knew that there was a chance she would remember what had happened when she was older, but, hopefully, time would dull whatever hurt she was feeling.

He considered moving her back to bed, but decided against it for now. When he was ready to sleep, he would move the child so she would be more comfortable, but for now, she wanted to stay with him, and he would let her.

Remy wondered what she had seen to make her act like this. He wondered why she was latching on to him, instead of staying away. He hoped it meant that she felt safe with him, but knew that it was more likely that she needed comfort, and it didn't matter who gave it to her. That said, he knew without a doubt that there was no way Julia was taking either of the twins back the following morning. No, if he was right, she would be arrested later tonight, and tomorrow, he would bring the twins to the hospital, and probably the triplets as well, in order to make the case solid.

He really hoped he was wrong, and that Julia wouldn't hurt their daughters, but he knew in his heart that these children had been abused. Callista probably less so than Kaira. He assumed that Julia was expecting one child as a reminder of him and the love she had once felt for him, but had ended up with two, and had no idea what to do. She picked a favorite, probably the twin that reminded her of him most, and mentally abandoned the other one.

He wouldn't allow himself to have a favorite between the five. Each one was different, special, and needed him desperately. They needed to feel safe.

He wasn't sure how this would work, he had problems of his own that he was still trying to deal with, but he would manage it, somehow.

Remy hid a yawn, and picked up his middle daughter carefully. She had been laying next to him for the better part of an hour, and he severally needed to go to sleep. They had a long day planned tomorrow, from visiting the hospital to the police station, to shopping. That said, Monday, he was going to make sure the entire day was spent just the six of them. No one else. They needed that time together, and he would make sure that they got it.

He tucked in his middle daughter, and kissed her forehead. The moment he laid her down, she turned on her side, curling up adorably. He moved to the other side of the bed and kissed Callista as well, before pulling away. He stood in the doorway for a moment, smiling softly. "Goodnight, darling, goodnight sweetheart. Sweet dreams." He closed the door softly behind him.


	10. A Parent's Dream, A Personal Nightmare

Remy woke up a few hours later, thanks to the triplets. They were easily fed, and soothed back to sleep. It took a few minutes for him to wake up fully, but that was alright. He had expected it. Thankfully, the twins weren't awakened by the noise. He had checked on the girls several times, worried that his middle daughter would have another nightmare.

It was funny how little sleep he had actually gotten that night. Thankfully, he was far too used to several days, weeks, with little to no sleep. One did not pass the BAR without spending a few overnighter's, he thought sarcastically as he stretched his arms over his head.

Every muscle in his body protested the movement, but he knew that a few pots of coffee would be more than enough to combat the feeling. He moved over to his kitchen and grabbed a large, discrete canister off the shelf. He popped open the lid, and hid a sigh. It wasn't full of coffee, sadly, no, this one was full of memories. He hadn't moved on from his childhood, not really, and occasionally, he reminded himself how dangerous the outside world was.

In the canister hid several news articles and notes he himself had written about the incident. One day, he knew that he would let the rest of the world in the house of horrors, maybe write a book about it, but that wasn't something he could do right now.

He opened an identical canister, and pulled out a filter off the counter. That match, he knew, was only part of his sleeplessness. It was just such a strange that someone knew what the match was, or more specifically, what it meant to him.

His eyes slipped closed, and the scent of smoke filled his lungs. He knew it was just in his head, a leftover of a terrified six year old. He remembered finding a single match that had fallen out of his captors pocket as the man was leaving the room once again, leaving him almost broken. He remembered hearing the man muttering that he was going to have to find a new child soon. He had been so worried, so hungry, so exhausted, and yet, all he could think about was that single match.

He had known that he wouldn't have another chance at freedom. It had taken most of the night before he finally got free, wrists bleeding as he wiggled his way towards the small wooden stick.

Remy took a deep breath, and shook himself out of the thoughts. He couldn't afford to think about things like that, not right now, possibly never again. In the darkness of the night, he could admit that he had murdered the man who hurt him in cold blood. He had known that the man would collapse from the alcohol flooding his system, and had carefully started the fire, killing the man who had tortured him for weeks.

He had paid for the murder in blood. The man who hurt him paid in ash.

He shook himself again, and started his coffee, knowing better than to make a single cup. No, he was probably going to go through several pots before the day was done, but that was alright. He looked around the room, trying to find something that could keep his attention for a few minutes until his coffee could chase away the horrible thoughts that threatened to burn him alive, like he had burned the man.

The envelope that Edward had given him earlier seemed like a good enough place to start. He settled back at his desk, and pulled the letter from where he had carelessly thrown it earlier. It was pure white, and perfectly crisp, even though he hadn't been particularly careful with it earlier.

He peeled it open, careful not to tear it. The first thing he saw was a strange black key. He put it aside, and pulled out the letter. He had no idea what the key was for, per say, but his father didn't do things on a whim. No, the man was an engineer, planning every single detail out before he so much as made a move. His father must have planned several scenarios out to get this to him, and therefore, it must have been something that the man wanted to keep private, just between the two of them. Or, three, he supposed, as his father always included Edward in everything that had to do with the family and their wellbeing.

Dearest Remus, the letter started, his father's handwriting calm and looped as it always had been.

My son, you have become a father, now, and that means you, your lifestyle, and frankly, your entire life will change. Every part of your life will now revolve around your children, and I pray that you will take the responsibility more seriously than I have. I can fully admit that I failed you, Remus. My only goal in life was to make sure that you grew up into a responsible, caring, companionate young man, and you have cut yourself off from not only your mother, and I, but the entire world. You have always felt things more deeply than I ever could, and I regret letting you lose that innocence that had always colored your view of the world as a child.

I have failed each of my children, Remus, by being distant and allowing your mother to control every aspect of your lives, even if I could clearly see how unhappy you and your siblings have become. That said, as your father, I have always adored you and your siblings, and I always will. I wish that I could go back and change your life, my child, but I cannot. The only thing I can do is love you from afar, no matter who you become, until you are ready to forgive me for failing you.

You now have children to think about now. They are going to be your entire life, child, for the rest of your life. I know that when your mother will question you, I will remain silent. Not because I agree, mind you, but because I know that you need the chance to stand up for yourself. I know that you will adapt into the role of a doting father far better than I ever have. These children will strengthen you, and they are not a weakness, Remus, but a strength. You have always had to be strong, my child, but now, that strength will be doubled. There is nothing as strong as a parent trying to protect and nurture their child.

You are a father, Remus, and that means, suddenly, your life isn't just your own anymore. As I write this, I am watching two of my grandchildren explore the world of dreams. Your son, Theodoric, is glaring at me, clearly discontent with me being around his siblings. His actions, as well as his distrust in everyone around, tells me that they have already had a hard life, no matter how short it might have been.

That said, they are still young enough to be able to heal from their pain and stresses. Your mother is currently under the belief that you abandoned Ms. Richards when you found out about the pregnancy. Personally, I disagree. She was a bit too fake in her call, answering questions a bit too quickly to be genuine. I have little doubt that she is hiding something, Remus. Her secrets are dark enough to make myself uncomfortable. I do not trust her, and I have little doubt that you do not believe a word she has said either.

That, and I can easily see how each of your children have already bonded with you. I do not believe that you will be a bad parent because of the incident, as you call it. I do not believe that you would ever hurt, or neglect your children. I believe you already love them, and that they have already wormed their way into your heart. I believe you have the ability to heal them, Remus, just as they can heal you if you allow it.

Now, onto the true purpose of this letter.

Years ago, I got my hands on a series of properties around the area. I was very careful to keep this private. I knew that each of my children would grow up sooner or later. You wouldn't stay young, despite my wishes. Each home is roughly the same space. Each one has five bedrooms, five and a half baths. Originally, I wanted to give you the property that was more secluded than the others, something that I thought would be more matched to your distrust of people. But, after hearing about the triplets yesterday, I changed my mind.

The home I am going to offer you is fully paid for, with no bills until your youngest child's eighteenth birthday. It is a two story home, with a basement, a study on each floor, and a matching upstairs, downstairs lounge. It is close enough to your current job that the drive won't be increased by a lot, and still close enough that I can visit my grandchildren. I did the same thing when Kiran told me of his first child on the way. The only request I have is that you not mention it to your mother or other siblings. I made the same request of your older brother that I am of you, if it makes you feel better.

It was not originally bought with you in mind, Remus, I can fully admit that it was for Violet when she finally grew up, but I have changed my mind, as I have already stated. I got a hold of these properties when you were eight, child, and you have finally grown up. Not physically, of course, but now, I can trust you to emotionally develop, whereas I had become hesitant to even think that it was possible.

Please do not allow your pride to stop you from taking this house. Your children will need the space, Remus, and it would do an old grand-père proud to be able to provide it to them. It will, of course, be transferred, quietly, to your name.

I adore you, my son. I am now old enough to admit that I was foolish in my youth. I believed that no one could ever raise you as well as your mother could. I was foolish in believing that I was just meant to be a provider for the family. I hope you will allow me to make up for it with my grandchildren.

Please know that you can call me at any time, and I will be open to help you with the children. I look forward to watching how they grow up under your care.

Your distant, but loving father

~Jairus Graysoni

He stared down at the piece of paper in his hands. What? His family was rich, he had always known that, just like his mother had always taken pleasure in rubbing it in every one else's faces, but, he had never known they had that much money. His eyes were drawn to the key. Could he take what was being offered? Could he allow himself give up the independence that he currently held in order for his father's charity?

Then again, could he allow his pride to stop his children from having a home that they wouldn't have to worry about for the next eighteen years? The offer was both tempting and insulting, and at this point, he wasn't sure which was greater. He just wanted to prove, more to himself than anyone else, that he didn't need donations. He had always been fine on his own, but...

That was on his own. Now, he had five little people depending on him. He would still have to pay for food and other things, and it wasn't like he was poor with the jobs he was doing. He was looking at a seventy thousand dollar payoff if he got Miller off, and more than that if Campton was released and paid reparations. At the very least, he would have about fifty thousand from each case if he lost in fees.

He didn't have to work a lot to make money, the problem was that he wouldn't get paid until the cases were closed, and that wouldn't be for a while. He still had plenty to live off of, as long as he was careful.

He hid a sigh. This was going to be a headache. If he took it, he felt like he would be failing himself, but if he didn't, he would be failing his children. Methodically, he folded the paper and placed it back in the envelope it came in, before going to grab his coffee. He knew exactly which one he would choose, the only possible choice that he could chose.

It was too early for him to have to make such a large decision, but that didn't help him at all. The letter didn't care that it was only, what around four in the morning. No one would care that he would most likely spend the next few hours getting onto himself for not being able to provide for his family. But, he would take the house anyway. He made a mental note to call his father, or at least Edward, later and tell them that he would accept the house.

He didn't want to, he really, really, wanted to pretend that he was more than capable of taking care of his family without their help, but he would be lying to himself. There was no way he was going to be able to do this alone. As much as he hated the thought, he would need someone to watch all five while he was at work. He hoped that it wouldn't be something he would need to worry about yet, but he knew that it was always better to have a plan than to go in blind.

He sipped the warmth of the coffee, and felt the shakes that encompassed his body start to decrease. This was going to be a long day, he thought, letting his head fall against the small table that he rested his cup on. Something from his room fell, and he straightened immediately, rushing towards his room, even though his mind wondered what exactly the twins had knocked over. His bedroom wasn't exactly full of all sorts of things. Besides his bed, a small dresser, and a bookshelf, it was bare.

A little red head peeked through the door just as he was about to open it. The girl's dark red hair was mussed, and her eyes tired, but aware. He was ninety percent certain that this was Callista, but he wasn't positive, as he didn't exactly know the twins very well. The child squeaked, and backed away from the door.

"Did I scare you?" He asked quietly, "Sorry, darling. I was going to go and check on you two, just to make sure you weren't hurt." He knelt down and waited for her to make the next move. She was just as uncomfortable with him as her sister was, it seemed. "Do you want some breakfast?"

She looked surprised by that statement. He supposed it was a bit earlier than most people would normally eat, but if she wanted to, he had no problem with that. He wasn't so sure what else he could do for her. It was too early to get started in their day.

"You could go back to sleep, as it's still early if you prefer, or, of course, you could do nothing for a little while. We’re probably going to start a routine, soon enough, but for now, I'm not going to force you to do anything."

He moved back from her and sat back on the couch, reaching for a file he had left on the floor. He reclined lightly, keeping an eye on Callista, while making sure to still absorb the information that was in front of him. He wasn't working on stuff for work, not this morning. This file was for the twins. This was what he had needed to figure out first and foremost. What were the terms that Julia left Kaira with him? Could either Julia or Amy just take back the children whenever they wanted? He wasn't sure yet, and he was stupid not to find out earlier.

A few minutes later, a slight movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Callista had sat down next to him, far enough away for her not to touch him, but close enough for him to know she wanted his attention, but wasn't ready to receive it just yet.

Almost an hour passed, and the little girl had laid down, just touching the outside of his knee with the top of her head. He hid a smile, and placed a hand on her curly dark red hair. He would let her rest for the next two hours. They would start their day around eight, he supposed. Until then, he would just enjoy the time he had with his oldest daughter.


	11. GRAND- PÈRE GETS DENIED

Remy wanted to collapse on his couch the moment they got back. He couldn't of course, even after, especially after, hearing what both the hospital and the police station had to say. It was bad, he had known it was bad, but he hadn't expected the hospital to call the police and threaten to arrest him.

Thankfully, he had the folder that both Amy and Julia had given him, showing the recent transfer in custody. He was able to give his statement early, but he did have to go down to the station in order to file a restraining order on Julia, and start the transfer of custody on Callista. It had been a long day for all five of the children, especially Kaira. She absolutely hated being in or around the hospital.

That said, she had fallen asleep in the car ride back to the apartment. He had wanted to go and look at the new house, as well as go shopping for some of the things that the children would have needed, but seeing as he had Kaira sleeping on one hip, and Callista on the other, while somehow managing to push the stroller inside the house. That, funny enough, was the thing he was most proud of.

He wasn't sure how he had managed it, but the moment he had managed to get inside, he wanted to crumble. He left the stroller in the middle of the room, and adjusted the girls on his hips so that he could open his bedroom door. One thing he had learned about the twins was that Kaira was much more likely to cling to him, despite what he had originally thought. She, apparently, had started to feel safe with him. At the hospital, she had cried and screamed until he had picked her up in his arms.

He had felt proud that she had adapted to his presence so soon. Callista hadn't been particularly interested in being carried, thankfully. Until, she had fallen asleep in the car, and he hadn't wanted to wake either of the sleeping twins up. He had a feeling that if his eldest had been awake, he wouldn't have been allowed to pick her up, but she was asleep, and not waking up anytime soon.

Carefully, he placed one twin on one side of the bed, before walking around, and putting her sister on the other side. He ducked down to tuck her in, and kissed her on the head. Thankfully, Kaira didn't wake up. He did the same to Callista, before closing the door. He hoped they would take a longer nap, before being ready to continue their day. It was only around noon, and he had made sure that they had eaten breakfast before they left, and lunch when they got out of the hospital.

He yawned slightly, and closed the door behind him. He hoped they would be asleep for at least an hour. He moved to check on the triplets, and wasn't at all surprised to find Theodoric was awake. That child, he thought, shaking his head and scooping up the little boy in his arms.

"How come you're still awake, baby boy?" He asked quietly, "You just ate half an hour ago, and you're not upset, so what's wrong?" Seeing as the little one couldn't yet talk, he simply assumed the child wanted some attention, and was fighting sleep to make sure he got it.

Remy sighed lightly, and moved to the couch, the little boy curled up in his arms. "Let's take a nap, alright buddy?" He hoped the contact would be enough to sooth the child, and allow them both to take a small nap.

A knock at his door threw that thought away. He considered ignoring it, but knew that if he did, the other four children might wake up. Theo had perked up a bit at the sound, seemingly curious about the sound. He hid a grown, and stood up, adjusting the child in his arms.

He moved over to the door, adjusting his t-shirt, usually something he just slept in, and opened it. He hadn't been expecting Edward, or his father for that matter, to be outside his small apartment.

"Good afternoon, Remus." His father greeted. Remy paused for a moment, before nodding his own greeting.

"Father. Edward. What can I do for you today?" He questioned lightly. His father laughed, and Theo grumbled in his arms.

His father glanced around his apartment, seemingly looking for something. "I heard that that you got a hold of twin daughters." His Jairus told him calmly, "Where, dare I ask, are my granddaughters?"

"Sleeping, of course." Remy answered, slightly surprised. "They are only two, after all."

"Yes, I am aware of that, after all, I've been paying for them since they were born."

He didn't want to believe that. He didn't want to believe that his family, his father, knew about the twins and didn't tell him. That was craziness. His father's wouldn't have given up money for children he didn't know for sure were part of the family or not. Then again, if his mother had asked for him not to be told, he wouldn't be. He wasn't close enough to any member of his family for them to actually think that telling him anything like this. Especially, if Julia didn't want him to know.

"I... see. I suppose introductions are not necessary than." He said slowly. He knew that he couldn't afford to snap at his father right now. He needed the help that his family offered. His children needed their grandparents in their lives, and he was loath to do anything that might damage their relationship later in life.

His father glanced away, slightly uncomfortable. "Actually," Jairus said slowly, "I've never met the twins. Ms. Michaels wanted to wait until they had met you in order to introduce them to the rest of our family. By the way, if you have any doubts on the twin girls, don't. I had a paternity test ordered once I found out about them. They are indeed your children. I trust you have already ordered a test for the triplets?"

It was less of a question, and more of a statement, but Remy nodded anyway. Of course he did. He had done so at the hospital earlier. Despite what his family might have thought, he wasn't an idiot. He knew that this could make or break his little family, but even if they weren't his, Amy had already signed custody over to him. Unless he decided to give it up, they would remain with him.

Which, he wouldn't. He just thought they all had the right to know who their parents were.

Theo cooed again in his arms, and he turned, to invite them inside. He moved the child to his right side, and closed the door behind his guests. "Coffee?"

"No thank you, Remus." His father denied, "We are here for a different purpose. We would like you to go and look at the house today. Edward has volunteered to drive you to the house, while I stay with the children."

He bit his lip, and glanced down into his son's blue eyes. "I don't think that would be a very good idea right now." He disagreed lightly, "I'm not entirely sure how long the girls will stay down. I don't know how they would react to the presence of people they don't know after the day that we've had." That was true. Neither Callista nor Kaira liked other people very much. He didn't want to risk them getting upset even after having to put them through the hospital earlier.

"Would you rather wait until they wake up then?"

Remy hesitated, looking at the other car seats, before nodding lightly. "I think that is for the best." He wasn't sure how well they would do with their grandfather, but they had survived earlier, and he was sure they would be fine later. That said, he didn't want the twins to think he had abandoned them. Soon enough, they were going to wonder about their mother, and he didn't want to think about what was going to happen when that thought crossed their minds.

He was a bit worried that they still weren't even making noises excluding crying. Even the triplets had a wider vocabulary than they did, which was just wrong. He hoped that they would start to develop those muscles, and thus a vocabulary soon. It was strange having seven month old triplets that could communicate more easily than two year old twins.

He sat down at the table, letting his father and butler take the couch.

"Young master Remus?" Edward asked quietly. Remus turned slightly, making it obvious that he was listening. "May I ask which of your children is awake?"

Remy snorted lightly, "I wouldn't exactly call Theodoric awake." He corrected slightly, "He's more asleep than awake now." Not that it was a surprise that the child was almost asleep. He knew that the child wanted comfort and attention, which was the only reason he had managed to stay away this long, but Theo was young, and tired. The little one was almost passed out in his arms.

"May I hold him?" Edward asked quietly. Remy hesitated, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to move the child when he was so close to sleep. But, he still stood carefully, and passed the child over to his surrogate uncle slash butler. Theo grumbled when he was moved, but didn't start to fuss.

Remy counted that as a success. That meant he could go and check on the older two. He had been worried about how Kaira would react to the traumas of the day. The child had already proven prone to nightmares, and he hoped that the exhaustion would keep her asleep for a while. The sound of tiny feet thudding from his room extinguished that hope.

He was glad that he didn't have Theo in his arms, and knelt down by his door, ignoring the looks that his father and butler were giving him. He only had to wait a few moments, before the younger twin rushed out of the room and fell into his arms. Tears soaked his t-shirt, not that he was surprised, and he wasted no time picking up the small red head and standing up.

"It's alright, my sweetheart. It was just a dream, baby girl." He soothed, or at least tried to. "I'm here, Kaira." He paced around the room with his daughter in his arms until he had finally gotten her to stop crying.

It may not have been longer than ten minutes, but every single second hurt his heart. He hated that she had those dreams, but he wasn't sure what he could do to stop them.

Once she had settled into his arms, a brief glance at his youngest son told him that Kaira was the only awake child he had to deal with right now. Theo was asleep in Edward's arms, thankfully, and her sobs hadn't woken any of the triplets. He hated to think about it, but it might be easier to give each of the twins their own rooms, so that early bird Callista wasn't affected by Kaira's bad dreams. For all he knew, the twins had been separate their whole life. Julia had certainly been stupid enough to abuse them, and try to separate them.

He wasn't sure exactly what Kaira had seen, or what caused the nightmares, or even if they were a common occurrence. He was well aware that they might have been caused by too much happening too quickly.

"Sir? If I may ask, what is wrong with the little mistress?" Edward asked. He felt Kaira tense in his arms. She had clearly not known that there was anyone else there.

"Nothing, Edward, she just had a bit of a bad bream, but she's fine now, aren't you sweetheart?" He asked quietly. Kaira tucked her head further into his neck, cuddling tighter to him. "This is Kaira Cyrene Sedgley, by the way, the younger of the twins. Her older sister, Callista Karis, should be awake soon." He told the older man, keeping his little girl safe by his side.

"Hello there, Kaira." Jairus waved at the little girl. "I'm your grand-père. Would you like to shake my hand?" Remy's father held a hand towards Kaira, but the child ignored him. She didn't want anything to do with the man right now, and just wanted to be held by her papa.

Her had decided that he wouldn't force her to interact with anyone else, if she didn't want to, and right now, she didn't want to. He stroked her long, dark red hair, and she held tighter to his neck. If he wanted to remain on her good side, he needed to do what she wanted him to. As long as it didn't hurt her, him, or her siblings, than he was alright with whatever wanted him to do. He kissed her curls, and sat down, letting her tuck into his side.

"She's a little shy." He told his father, trying not to enjoy the look of disappointment on his father's face. The triplets were alright with his father, but Kaira just wanted him.

"Will she allow us to hold her?" Jairus asked.

He looked down at his daughter. "Well, sweetheart? Do you want to sit with grand- père? I'll be right here if you change your mind." He whispered to her. "Can you go to him while I put down Theo for his nap? Can you be a big girl and sit with him for just a few moments?"

She didn't want to, that was obvious, but she nodded. He kissed her head again, proud that she was allowing him to put her down to take care of her little brother for a few minutes. She was a good big sister. "Thank you, sweetheart."

He sat her down, and walked over to where Edward was waiting with Theo in his arms. She clung to his leg, clearly not wanted to move from his side. But, she agreed to go over to her grandfather while Remy had his hands full with her little brother. Remy cuddled the sleeping little one in his arms for a moment, before bending to place the child in his car seat. The little one stayed asleep as Remy tucked the small blue blanket around the child, and gave Theo his dolphin.

The moment he straightened up, Kaira ran to him, again. She had sat down with her grand- père for a moment, but the moment she could get away from Jairus, she did. She moved to her papa, and he scooped her back up. She was exhausted, and didn't want to do anything other than rest with him.

"I see why you did not want to leave the girls without introduction now." Jairus muttered, slightly annoyed that she didn't seem to like him at all.

"I might still have to leave them with you anyway. But, more than likely, Callista will not be quite so difficult to warm up to. Kaira, on the other hand, will likely come with me." He told them with a shrug, "That is, if you don't mind, of course, Edward."

The butler gave him a small smile, "Of course Sir. The little mistress is more than welcome to come with us. "

Now, they just had to wait for his eldest child to wake up. He hoped that his father would be able to handle four of the children alone, without Edward's help. Then again, he had no doubt that if Edward was the one staying, the man would be able to handle the children with little to no problems.

Remy settled back in his chair, and waited with Kaira in his arms for her twin to wake up.


	12. The Edward Affect

As expected, Callista had been content to stay with her grand- père, and Kaira didn't want to move from his side. After several promises from his father to call if there was any trouble, and to send constant updates on all four of the children in his care, Remy left. Was it a bit much? Probably, but he was worried about the children, which was expected.

That said, Kaira seemed more than slightly content to stay by his side, curling up next to him on the ride to their new house. The moment he unbuckled her from a car seat that was just her size, she clung to him again. He didn't mind, but set her down after a moment, allowing her to hold his hand and walk next to her. She was clearly hesitant about it, and from what he remembered about her mother, he could see why. But, he was patient, and allowed the little two year old to set the pace, instead of him.

Edward seemed amused by the proceedings, but didn't try and rush the two along. The older man seemed slightly impressed by the way the young lawyer was dealing with his daughter, and it made Remy feel a small bit of pride for some strange reason. A brief memory of himself as a child curled up at Edward's side was pulled into his mind. He probably spent more time around Edward than any other adult in his life. For months after he had been kidnapped, he wouldn't let anyone touch him, except for the older man. His parents scared him, his siblings were scared of him, 

The house was beautiful, a large, lush yard that was gated with heavy iron, and two stories of dark bricks. It was impressive, with plenty of room for the children to run around. He couldn't wait to be able to sit out on the porch and watch the older twins riding bikes while the younger triplets ran around the yard, chasing their older siblings. It was a strangely sweet thought.

Edward, always ready to get things taken care of, held a hand out for the keys. Remy dug through his jeans for the key that had been in the letter. He handed the black key over for the man to unlock the door. It was weird that this house could be his family home. He couldn't believe that he was even thinking about a future in this place. It wasn't the one he would have picked for himself, yet it was one that he could see clearly. 

One of the first things he noticed once the door opened was the large, wide entry way. It was beautiful, and well lit. He walked inside, and looked around. First was the kitchen, complete with a bar in the center. It was made with dark steel appliances, and black marble. It was more than big enough for him and the five children. Against the wall were three high chairs, one blue, one green, and one purple, all lined up. In the six chairs around the large black marble table, five of them had booster seats, probably for when the triplets were bigger. He noticed that there were two that didn't have the triplets colors, one was yellow, and the other red. Remy decided that Kaira would get the red for now, and Callista would get the yellow.

The colors were a strange way for him to keep things organized. He knew that as a child, he hated sharing. This way, his children would be able to easily identify what was theirs, and what belonged to their siblings. It didn't help that at least his boys looked almost identical. Remy hoped that this would be something to give them a bit more of an individuality than they would otherwise have. For now, though, he would keep the colors.

He moved onto the living room, fully set up with the same black, grey, and white color scheme. There was a large, three person couch, and two love seats on either side, as well as a recliner in the far corner. He nodded to himself. This could work. He could see the children playing down here, as he entertained guests, or something similar. 

Kaira pulled lightly at his jeans, and he reached down to settle her against his hip once again. That done, he moved to the down stairs study, a small, cube like room, but easily big enough for all of his work things, then to the lounge, where there was more seating, and children's toys in their boxes just ready to be played with. He noticed another door, and opened it, seeing what he assumed was the master bedroom. It was done in black and white, just like the rest of the down stairs seemed to be, with a large bed, a night table, a dresser, a bookshelf, and two other doors that he assumed led to his bathroom and closet. Funny enough, his bathroom was also linked with the study, letting him move back and forth without disturbing the children if needed.

While he knew that his family didn't exactly agree with his choices, the fact that they gave him an office was a big thing. Sure, he was probably going to be taking a lighter workload for the next year, at least, but other than that, he still planned on taking cases. He would soon have to teach his children that when he was in his office, he was not to be bothered. Of course, that wouldn't happen until they were at least a little bit older.

He walked calmly up the stairs, noting that they were possibly a bit dangerous, as it was a black winding stair case, but it was carpeted, so that made things easier. He was fairly sure that the twins wouldn't have too much trouble with them, once they figured it out.

Upstairs, there was a large, circular den, and a load of doors going off in every direction. The first was a blue- and- green nursery, Lothario and Theodoric's if he was right. It was done in a rainforest theme, and had two cribs ready and waiting for their new inhabitants. The blue one, Theo's crib, had a dolphin mobile above the bed, while the green one had a wolf.

It was clear that this wasn't just a spur of the moment decision, and that his father had clearly known for at least a few weeks in order to get this set up. A large light wooden changing table filled almost an entire wall, with a dresser for the children's clothes under. The closet was large, and already stocked to the brim with not only the clothes they would wear now, but larger sizes as well. It was strange to see everything already in a logical place. The closet was set up to slide open with twin doors, giving it an even larger appearance. Finally, it had its own bathroom, this one decorated as an undersea ocean theme.

It had a full bathtub, a large sink, a shower, and the toilet, as well as plenty of space to store things for the boys.

He headed into the hall again, and moved to the next room. Clearly, his father had assumed that Aislynn would get her own room, as she got a mystical forest theme, with white furniture instead of the lighter wood of the boys room. All and all, it was a room for a little princess. It was set up almost identical to the boys room, only with a single crib, and a rocking chair placed on the far side of the room. Her bathroom was done in mostly purples and pinks, clearly demonstrating that she was, indeed, the youngest.

His favorite room, he had to admit, was the older twins room. It was set up like a fairy- tale dream, with bright, happy yellows and deep reds swirling around to give it a more distant theme than the others. They each had their own beds, one with royal red, and the other a sunny yellow. On each bed was a plush, like the ones their younger siblings had. A red fox on one, and a yellow owl on the other. He hid a small smile. They should have been switched, if he was being honest, but then again, he didn't really know the girls just yet. Who knew, perhaps Kaira would grow up to be cunning, clever, and cautious, while Callista became more of a scholar, someone that became a seeker of knowledge more than attention.

They had the rest of their lives to develop their independence and personalities, and frankly, he felt no need to rush them. As long as they were happy and healthy, he didn't care what they wanted to do.

He sat Kaira down on the floor, and gestured to the red bed. "Look, sweetheart, that's your bed. You don't have to share with your sister anymore. And this is both your room, and Calla's room. Isn't it nice?" He knelt down, and lightly nudged her towards her bed. He waited for a few minutes, but she moved towards it. Remy felt a smile tug on his face. It was adorable. 

The girl was hesitant, but curious, and soon enough, she moved towards the red side of the room, and picked up the doll on her bed. She held it tightly in her arms, and he hid a smile. "Can you give Mister Edward a hug for making this room for you, sweetheart?" He asked. Edward raised an eyebrow, but the little girl did as he asked, and hugged his leg. He hadn't expected her to listen, as she seemed to cling to him more often than not. It seemed like she was finally warming up to Edward, which was really sweet to him. 

The butler seemed surprised, and yet, didn't hold tightly to her. He knelt down, slower than Remy could because of his age, and met the girls eyes. "Do you like your room, little mistress?" He waited until she nodded. "Good. I'm glad. Shall I show you some of your toys while your papa finishes his tour?"

Kaira looked torn, but at Remy's gentle smile, she nodded. He watched as his old butler pulled out a few different toys, and allowed her to choose which one they would play with first. He waited for a few minutes, just to make sure she was occupied, before moving over to the bathroom. It was just as fiery and intense as the room it was attached to, but with more muted yellows, and deeper shades of red. It was nice, and it was big enough that the girls wouldn't have too much trouble sharing. Or so he hoped. He snuck out of the room, and moved down the hall to the next room.

He was a bit surprised to see the next room. It was done mostly in calming shades of browns and greens. Shelf after shelf reached the ceilings. There were several chairs, both a comfortable recliner for him and several smaller chairs for the little ones decorated the room. It had a large fake fire place that was closed off behind a panel to keep the kids safe. He smiled a bit at it. This would be a room he spent a lot of time in, hopefully developing his children's mind into those of readers who were curious about the world around them.

This room was a bit more muted in color than the rest, but it still had plenty of things to keep the children's attention. The books on the lower shelves were easily seen as children's books. The ones higher up, however, made him raise an eyebrow. They were classics, mostly, filled with mythology, legends, and history.

He ducked out of the library and into the final room that had, apparently, been turned into a play room for the five children, just as colorful and playful as the rest of the upstairs. Toys, from a fake kitchen that he knew the girls would love to little pads that most likely lit up and made noise, were everywhere. Remy had no doubt that this room would be where his children learned to work together, and would develop a deep close bond that he hoped they would have. His biggest fear was that his children would grow up spiteful towards each other. With a little bit of a nudge, hopefully Calista and Kaira would get closer to each other, like twins should be. 

When they got older, though, he would have to hope that neither set of twins wanted their own rooms. Or, if they did, what he was going to do about it. Maybe the playroom or the library could become a bedroom for one of his children. Maybe, he mentally shuddered at the thought, his office could be another. Hopefully not. Hopefully, by the time his children were older, they would be able to move around more independently, and he would be able to have his alone time as well.

As someone who regularly spent large amounts of his time alone, being here scared him a bit. This was a family home, filled with toys for the children, his children, and yet...

That was the problem wasn't it? He half expected his family to fight him when it came to keeping his children. He had been mentally preparing for it ever since he had first laid eyes on the triplets. Remy wasn't exactly what most would call parental. Hell, even just leaving Kaira in the room with Edward made him cringe. He knew that should his family fight for custody, he would lose. And it would kill him.

Losing his little family would break him in a way that no one had ever managed to hurt him.

This house proved more to him than his father would ever say though. This house meant that his father wanted him to be able to raise his children, that he wanted Remy to prove that he could be a parent. He didn't know how he was going to be able to pull this off, but as he looked down at the little toys stacked neatly against the walls, he sure as hell was going to try.

It was interesting to see how much different the upstairs and down stairs were from each other. As expected, it had its own bathroom as well, this one done with rubber ducks and had a box of bath toys that he would probably use to entertain the children during their bath times.

It really was perfectly set up, and done in a way that wasn't too crazy for either him or the children. He moved silently down the stairs, listening carefully for any signs that Kaira missed him, before setting about to check the final doorways. One, in the kitchen, was a pantry, large enough that he wouldn't have to worry about exploding from the seams any time soon. The second was in the lounge, the half bathroom. It was done as tastefully as the rest of the down stairs had been. The final doorway was behind the stairs, leading to more stairs, and what he assumed was the basement. Instead of finding it dank and dark, it was well lit, and relaxing. It had a second desk, and was done as a second study in case he wanted to move the children around.

He decided to see how the older twins would do together here before he made any decisions to move anything around.

He also had to hand it to his father, and to Edward as well. This place looked exactly like a place where he could raise his children. Should he split the older girls up, he would probably move the down stairs study, and put Kaira in the room attached to his, until the nightmares stopped, at least. Then, maybe the upstairs lounge could be the playroom, and that room could become Kaira's.

As much as he wanted her to develop a sense of herself, he knew that she would only hide away more if he tried to distance himself. He hid a small sigh, and simply hoped that eventually, both Kaira and Callista would be able to depend on each other. He knew that their mother had damaged their relationship, as Kaira seemed a little scared whenever her twin was around. With some luck, they would both be able to grow together.

All and all, he had spent around an hour looking around, and when he went upstairs, he knew that Edward would start making calls to have the rest of his things moved here as soon as the man dropped them off. If Edward had his way, the six of them would be fully moved into this house in the next two days. He didn't mind either, as it was somehow seeming more and more like a place he wanted to be the more time he spent within its walls.

It was probably for the best that they moved before the children got too attached to his apartment, anyways. This way, Kaira and Callista could have their own beds, Aislynn would have her own room, and Theodoric and Lothario could finally sleep in their cribs. Oh, and he got a bed, instead of the couch. That was going to be nice. Maybe he could actually get some sleep, instead of constantly being awake.

Not that he expected to for the next little while, as the triplets were not quiet at the point where they slept through the night.

A little thought crept into his mind. He moved up the stairs and towards the master bedroom, piercing green eyes looking for something not easily found. Thankfully, it seemed like he did, in fact, have video and audio surveillance of each bedroom. Good. That way, if any of them cried through the night, he would know and hopefully, reach the child before they woke up the others.

That checked, he decided that they were going to go home and get the others. To his surprise, Edward just smiled lightly when he came into the room. "I have already called the moving crew, young master. The Master will also be here in the next half hour with the rest of your children. The men have promised to get everything moved out of your apartment in the next thirty- two hours, and the master told me that they took care of ending your lease on the apartment already. This house is already in your name, as well." The elderly man glanced toward Kaira, who was content playing with her fox, then back to his masters son with a sly look in his eyes. "The master has things fully under control, sir."

Somehow, Remy had no doubt about that.


	13. Homecoming Gift

When Remy woke up in a bed that wasn't his own, he could easily, if privately, admit that his thoughts went to a slightly more mature place. Until, of course, he heard crying. That's when his mind filled in the blur of the previous days. He had, it appeared, been swept up in the whirlwind that was Edward Jameson. That man had done what he mentally referred to as the Edward Effect more times than he cared to think about. Decisions that he would have obsessed over were already started and finished before he even knew what had happened.

He groaned loudly, disappointed with himself for jumping into things again, even if he knew he couldn't help it, and rolled over. It was just before midnight, and one of the little ones were crying. From this far away, he wasn't sure which of them it was, but he assumed it was one of the younger twins. He forced himself up, and trudged up the stairs to the boys nursery with a small sigh. He really didn't want to be awake, more specifically, he didn't want to be awake without coffee.

Remy wondered for a moment if the both twins were awake, before scoffing. Of course they would be. No one could sleep through the noise of someone else crying in your room. He opened the door, and headed to the crib with the biggest noise. Theo had fallen asleep early, and, sure enough, had awoken in the middle of the night. He picked up the screaming triplet, who calmed almost immediately the moment he was picked up, and moved over to the quieter, but no less irritated Thario. His oldest son was extremely cranky it seemed, and nowhere near pleased with being woken up so late.

He scooped the other triplet up in his arms. He wanted to go downstairs, but knew better. If he went down the stairs of doom, he wouldn't be going back upstairs any time soon. No, it made things easier on everyone if he stayed near the children's rooms. That decided, he knew that the playroom would be the best place to go. He sat down heavily on the plush arm chair. It matched the fun, theme of the room, done in soft blues and purples. He yawned, reclining the chair as far as it would go, and settled the boys. Theo grizzled on his left, and Thario just wanted to go back to sleep on his right.

He was exhausted, and knew that there was a chance he would be awakened by Kaira. He hoped she would sleep through the night, but wasn't exactly holding his breath. Maybe she would have at his apartment, but this was yet another change, and the little girl was still trying to catch up with everything that had been going on. Just in case, though, he had told her that she was welcome in his room at anytime, and showed her where it was.

Remy considered going to get Kaira before she woke up, but no, he couldn't do that. He wouldn't let her get in the habit of being awake in the middle of the night in order to get his attention. He already assumed that Callista would be awake early because of the new environment. The earlier day had been, in a word, exhausting. And, he supposed rocking slightly, confusing as hell. Once again, he promised himself that he would never again allow himself to get caught up in the Edward Affect.

Of course, he had made the same promise to himself several hundred times before, and it had never worked. Then again, it might have been impossible to resist his butler. The man was, strangely, too efficient. When someone wanted him to get something done, he did it by any means necessary. There was, of course, a reason that Edward was his father's shadow most of the time.

It was worse, he noted with a small roll of his eyes, when the man was trying to make a member of his family be more responsible for their health. If someone in the family wasn't taking care of themselves, or neglecting themselves for one reason or another, Edward was there to fix it. He wondered what he did to deserve it this time. He was eating, maybe not as much as he should have been, granted. He was sleeping when he could. He worked a difficult, yet rewarding job. Remy huffed to himself and adjusted the infant child in his arms. 

Several times while Remy had been in school, Edward had been asked to check up on him, and of course, found Remy hunched over textbooks and stacks of homework. It seemed like he simply blinked, and he was out of the library, or his dorm, and in the private spa, or Jacuzzi. How he had gotten there, Remy still couldn't answer, but it never failed.

Edward, he pondered far too late to be awake, made no sense. He shook his head, clearing away the thoughts. Thario had fallen asleep, as expected, but Theo was fighting the calls of sleep with every ounce of will that the little boy had. He sat the younger twin in the little swing that Edward had brought in before leaving, and buckled the little one in with one arm.

Thario was a dead weight at this point, not that he was surprised. His arms screamed at the weight, and he shifted the child, using both arms to support the child on the short walk back to his nursery. He was going to have to start lifting weights soon, in hopes of being able to lift the children up more often. If his pathetic arms hurt after less than ten minutes, then he needed to get stronger. 

The child's golden brown hair was mussed heavily, sticking up like he had put his hand in a socket, but Thario looked adorable, so Remy wasn't going to fix it yet. Besides, it was late, and who was he to wake the child up? He rocked his oldest son in his arms for a few moments, kissing the child on the head, before tucking him in his crib, a small green blanket covering his small form. Thario reached out in sleep, searching for his father the moment he was laid back in bed.

A fond smile reached his face, and he grabbed the small wolf plush from where it had been discarded in the corner of the crib, and let the child latch onto it. Maybe not exactly what the boy had been looking for, but it seemed to satisfy the child. Remy stroked his hair again, a fond smile on his face, before heading back to the playroom. It was strange how paternal he had gotten in such a short amount of time. He knew the baby boy would most likely sleep for at least a few more hours. He hoped that the next time Thario woke up, it would be for a bottle.

That done, he plopped down in front of Theo, who's dark blue eyes locked onto him the moment he entered the room, or so it seemed. "Are we going to do this every night?" Remy asked his youngest son, poking the grumbling child in his soft belly. Theo wasn't hungry, didn't need a diaper change, or a burp. He simply wanted his papa's attention. The only reason Thario had woken up was because of his twin.

He met the child's sleepy blue eyes, and Theo reached out for his papa. "Let's not make this a nightly habit. Sound like a good idea? I like spending one on one time with you too, baby boy, but this habit of yours isn't good for either of us." Remy stretched out his legs on the floor and started undoing the belts around the child, "What do you say we have our nightly cuddle before you go to bed instead of in the middle of the night. Sound good to you?" He scooped the child up in his arms after taking the buckles off, and cuddled him close.

Theo grumbled a bit, and Remy took that as an agreement to his plan. It only took a few more minutes before Remy was getting up to tuck the younger twin into his bed, repeating the same ritual that he had done with his oldest son a earlier. His younger twins were going to be a handful later on. He hoped that they would set a good example for his older twins.The door to the boys nursery closed with a small snick. He peeked into Aislynn's room, and made a note to cuddle his youngest when she first woke up.Remy yawned loudly. The only reason he wasn't asleep yet was because he had to get to bed first. His eyes closed a bit, and he stumbled down the stairs. 

Sleep was quickly overtaking him, and he barely remembered to leave his door open a bit so that he could hear Kaira if she called. He collapsed on his bed with a loud groan, not bothering to get under the covers, and drifted off to sleep.

As expected, the next day was relaxing, just like they needed. While Kaira did wake up from a nightmare, she was easily soothed, and went back to sleep within half an hour. He had been able to wake up at seven, and start his coffee before Aislynn woke up. As the only triplet who managed to sleep through the night, he was extremely proud of the little girl. She woke up happy, giggling and content by herself for a while. She had been so quiet that he wasn't sure exactly when she had woken up, but she was quiet happy that morning.

Callista had been the next to wake up, leaving her room and cooing quietly for him from upstairs. He had happily spent the first part of the morning with the two girls, and got both dressed and ready before the other three woke up. Calla, as he was calling his eldest, was dressed in a yellow dress that had a yellow rose on the front, and white tights with white sandals as well. He had let her help pick out her own clothes, and she had been immediately drawn to the dress. She also helped pick out a short sleeve purple onesie that had been paired with white shorts for her youngest sister. Calla had been proud that she helped her papa.

Next up was Thario, thankfully while Remy was still upstairs with the girls. Back downstairs they went, and he had Calla help him feed Aislynn while he took care of Thario next to her. He had kept a close eye on the two, helping his oldest daughter support the bottle while his youngest tried to grab it by herself. It was adorable.

Finally, a quarter to nine, he woke up the third triplet, and his younger twin daughter. Thario sat in the same swing that had entertained his younger twin the night before, while Calla and Aislynn played on the floor. He planned on letting the boy swing for a few minutes, so he would have a free hand once his twin woke up. He kept the door to both rooms open as he woke up the two sleeping children, just in case. Theo grumbled in his arms, and he switched Thario with Theo after a quick thought. Thario went on the floor with his sisters while he woke Kaira.

He learned an interesting lesson, though. A sleepy Kaira was a cuddly Kaira. Not that he hadn't already expected it, but he still enjoyed cuddling his daughter while the other four played together.

After a few minutes of prodding, Calla had managed to get Theo to take a small cube plush from her, and they passed it back and forth for a while.

The last three ate easily, both older twins eating a few bites of their oatmeal before drinking from their bottles. He made a mental note to buy Sippy Cups for the girls, and start weaning them off the bottles all together. The final triplet was fed in his arms while he helped the girls eat their breakfast.

All and all, the morning went off without a fuss.

He had been upstairs with the twins while the youngest three got their afternoon nap, when they started showing signs of being cranky themselves. It took him almost half an hour to put the older twins down, but when he did, all five children were actually asleep.

He stood in the middle of the upstairs lounge. Now what? He had barely been awake by himself for the last few days. There was almost always a child awake and wanting his attention. He stared at the stairs, and shrugged a bit, before descending to the first floor. He grabbed a case file from the box in his study that he needed to unpack, and headed outside. He wouldn't be outside for very long, maybe ten minutes before he went to check on the kids, but he needed the fresh air to ponder how his life had changed so much in just three days.

Remy deserved a few minutes to himself, and figured the best time to get it was while all five were asleep. He stretched his arms over his head the moment he was in the sunshine. He was sloppily dressed, but he didn't care yet. He considered grabbing a cup of coffee from the kitchen, but decided he would do so once he went back inside.

He flipped the file open, still standing, and knew he probably looked strange just standing there, reading something, but couldn't bring himself to care in the slightest. He was sure he had dark circles under his eyes as he adjusted to the children's sleep schedule, his grey t-shirt was hanging a bit looser than usual on his frame, and his sweats hung a bit lower on his hips, not that anyone could tell thanks to the oversized shirt.

Footsteps brought him from his own little world less than five minutes later, and he glanced up. The mail carrier, to his credit, didn't so much as blink at his appearance. "Are you Remus Graysoni?" The man asked, digging through his bag for something.

Remy blinked. Technically, no. Legally, no as well. But, it was his birth name, and he assumed it was for him, as he didn't exactly know a lot of people by the name of Remus Graysoni. "I am." Or, was. Either way was good with him.

The man nodded, and pulled out a small box, about the size of his arm, and a clipboard. "Sign here please."

Remy did as asked, and took the package with a quiet thanks, before the man left, going to the next house with their mail. He went inside to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He wondered what it was. No one knew where he lived just yet, as he had yet to announce it at work, or get it changed on his license, and if his father had something for him, he would just send Edward to give it to him.

He sliced open the tape with one of the knives in the drawer, and sipped his drink. He opened the package one handed, not willing to put down the life giving substance just yet. He pulled a small plush out of the box, confusion clear in his features. It was a black and white border collie, with one of its once white paws dipped in what appeared to be red dye. One of its eyes were poked out, and in the socket was a match broken in half.

The plush dropped from his hand, as did the coffee cup, one landing on the box. The cup shattered loudly on the ground, but Remy was frozen in fear. There was that word again. Cardstone.

Was this a joke, he wondered, heart beating loudly in his chest. He took a shaky breath, and bent down a bit to examine the collar, a simple strip of black leather with a single word etched into it. Simon.

Fuck.

Memories played in his head, and he had to lean on the counter for support to keep from falling over. This wasn't real, he tried to tell himself.

He knew one dog that matched this description, slightly anyway, and that was from when he was six. He remembered the man asking him if he had seen his dog, a border collie named Simon, that he stupidly agreed to help look for with the man.

No one else would have known about this. He never mentioned it to anyone, hell he didn't even think about it very often, it seemed so small compared to everything else. On their own, the dog, the collar, and the match would have made him slightly unnerved, but the three together?

He shakily walked to his room and unplugged his phone. He needed to call the police. This wasn't right.

But what could he say?

Hello, my name is Remus Sedgley, once Graysoni. Twenty years ago, there was a man who kidnapped and tortured children, before burning them alive in his stove with Cardstone matches. How do I know? Well, I used the same matches to burn down his house with him inside. Anyways, I think he's still alive because I was sent a dog plush named Simon. It looks almost identical to the dog he told me he was looking for when I was six. How do I remember that? Well, I never forgot it, I just didn't mention it. Why? Because I didn't think that was important compared to the fact that the man was planning on burning me alive.

Yeah, that conversation would go well.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Damn it all. The man couldn't still be alive. He glanced at the package again, this time noting that his address was printed on a sticker, instead of written, and there was no return address.

His thoughts moved to the match that he had found in his car earlier that week. They couldn't possibly be connected, and he had to be over exaggerating, right?

Darkness clouded his thoughts.

Now what, he wondered, looking at the glass on the floor and coffee that splattered even further. He buried his head in his hands, leaning over the counter and breathing for a few minutes. He needed to think.


	14. Whitcomb, Mendell, and Rook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are enjoying the extra couple of chapters from the depths of my computer! Here is another one, the third of four. Bonsoir mes charmants lecteurs.

Remy yawned loudly, the motion being echoed by Kaira in his arms. She had become his little buddy. Sure, Calla had wanted her individual time with him as well, but she was obsessed with proving she was a good big sister. Calla always wanted to spend time with the triplets, but seemed especially interested in Thario, who was just as interested in her.

Theo and Alyn were content on the floor, having their belly time next to him while he sat close by. Kaira, on the other hand, had spent most of her time on his lap, or next to him, watching her little sister and brothers. She wasn't quite as social with her siblings as Calla was, but he didn't mind. He was impressed by how much she had already changed within the week that she had been in his custody.

This particular afternoon, Kaira was in a red shirt skirt combo, that had a red rose in the middle in a slightly darker shade. Calla matched it with yellow and white. Calla had also silently demanded that he learn how to do her hair, and in a week, thanks to a lot of online tutorials, he was able to do a basic braid, and a pony tail. Calla's red hair was twisted together in a small braid, but Kaira just wanted it out of her eyes, making things easier on her papa.

Speaking of changes, Thario was the first one to officially turn over on his stomach by himself, and was working on becoming a wiggle worm if nothing else. He was surprised, as every article he had read about triplets told him that their development was a bit behind their singleton companions. The seven month old was starting to figure out how to move, even if he was nowhere near being able to crawl or walk.

He reached over to steady Calla when she almost tripped, but otherwise, was perfectly content in the little bubble that he had started to live in. It was strange how after only a week, Kaira had opened up to both Edward and Jairus, allowing them to cuddle her when Remy was gone, and Calla had become overprotective.

Remy had a sneaking suspicion that both Kai and Calla were more intelligent than they let on, and he had no doubt that either one or both would start talking within the next few weeks. Those two were extremely quiet for their age, barely even crying, and certainly not making any other noises, but he had a feeling that it was on purpose. He only hoped that once they had completely relaxed around him, they would start acting like normal two year olds, and start bouncing off the walls for once, as well as talking, even a few words. It was worrying that they were still so stunted, but he knew that they would soon let him understand.

Another interesting development was how Kai had started copying him, gesture and expression wise. Earlier that morning, she had actually raised her eyebrow at her papa when he had been surprised that she was already awake. It was a gesture that was familiar, but amusing, as it was one he made more often than he thought about.

That said, Theo and Alyn had started babbling to each other, or at least, they were trying to. Most of his time was honestly spent with either Kai or Theo at night, and Alyn or Calla in the mornings. He had very carefully started trying to get one on one time with Thario once he noticed how much time he spent with the others. That said, things were finally starting to calm down, and they were starting to get into a routine.

A small ringing noise reverberated around the room, catching all of the children's attention. He hadn't really been on his phone when they were awake, preferring to handle his responsibilities during their naps, usually around ten or so in the morning for the triplets, and again around three, around which time they were joined by their elder sisters. From three to about four thirty was his work time. But, sadly, he knew that they couldn't keep it up forever.

He was a busy man, and had a lot of responsibilities, even before he became a parent. That said, it didn't make him any more excited to answer his cell. No one ever called him unless there was a mess that he needed to sort out. Especially, he noticed the caller id, when it was Mr. Whitcomb calling around one in the afternoon.

He pressed the accept button on his phone, before holding it up to his ear. "This is Remus Sedgley." There was a small pause, and for a moment, Remy wondered if it was simply an accidental dial. But, all hope was lost when the man let out a long sigh.

"Mr. Sedgley, I need you at the office in the next hour. I normally would not call you in, but this is extremely important, and cannot wait. It's time sensitive, and not something that I'm prepared to mention over the phone. Can I expect you?" The man sounded dead tired, and Remy had little doubt that the man didn't want to call him in, but didn't have a choice.

Remy glanced over at the children, Kai was interested in his conversation, but the other four were back in their own worlds. "Alright, Mr. Whitcomb. Let me call someone over to watch the children." The man hung up, almost immediately, and Remy resisted the urge to sigh. He sent a message to his father, and to Edward, hoping that they would be able to drop everything and watch the children while he was called in.

"Alright, kiddo's," Remy said with a small, but forced, smile, "it time to move upstairs to the playroom." He scooped up Alyn and strapped her into the swing he had brought downstairs with the other toys. That done, he grabbed Theo in one arm, and Thario in the other. They were getting heavier, having probably gained a pound or so in the last week. If they hadn't been so tiny when he got them, he would have probably been worried, but as it was, they were finally looking healthier. If the weight got much higher, he would take them back to the doctors. He trusted Calla to stay down with her youngest sister, and Kai followed him up stairs, going in front of him and crawling up the stairs, instead of walking, which a bit strange, but he didn't say anything about it.

Once the older two of the triplets were strapped into their bouncy seat and swing, he gave Kai something to keep her occupied, her red fox, before rushing down the stairs to get the final two. Kaira stayed with the boys, keeping an eye on them for him. Even if she was only nineteen months older than the triplets, he still trusted her to keep an eye on her brothers for a few minutes. She was a good big sister, even if she wasn't as involved as Calla had become.

Thankfully, by the time that he got all five children upstairs, he had gotten a reply, telling him that both Edward and his father were on their way. He spent the next twenty minutes trying to settle his mind, while being used as a jungle gym by Kai. When he heard the door, he said a quick goodbye to each child, and let Alyn and Kai come with him back down the stairs to greet their grandfather. Alyn was easy to hand off, but Kai, it seemed, wasn't having it.

She clung to his leg as his mental timer counted down the minutes his boss had given him. It took the better part of ten minutes to hand her off to Edward, but he managed it. He considered allowing her to get her way, but knew that whatever he had been called for wasn't for little ears to hear. Kai already had nightmares more nights than she didn't, and he wasn't going to do anything to traumatize his daughter even more.

He had five minutes left in his hour by the time he parked in his usual place. He rushed up to his bosses office, taking a moment to make sure that he wasn't too ruffled. Thankfully, he wasn't dressed in a t-shirt and sweat pants, but a pair of dark wash jeans and a slightly nice blue, collared shirt. It wasn't exactly his usual work wardrobe, but he hadn't exactly expect to be called in today.

Remy ran a hand through his hair, hoping it wasn't too wild. He could easily admit he spent more time getting the five children ready for the day than he did for himself. It was probably normal behavior for a new parent, but probably, hopefully, would wear off soon. His golden brown locks felt like a mess on his head, but there wasn't really any time to make it stay down any more than it already was.

He knocked on the door, and waited for the signal to open it, ignoring the looks he was getting from his coworkers. Yes, he looked awful and exhausted, thanks for noticing, he thought sarcastically. Once he had, he took a seat that had been left for him. It already wasn't looking good, with both Mendell and Whitcomb in the same room, and several officers scattered around.

"Is something wrong?" He asked after a few moments of silence. If he had known that this was going to be a more formal meeting, he would have dressed for it, but it was too late now, he supposed. One of the officers threw something at him, and he caught it, a small, necklace box wrapped in brown, plain paper. "Am I supposed to know what this is?"

"Open it." Mendell told him, voice completely tense and apparently waiting for something to go off on.

Remy raised an eyebrow, but did as he was asked. As he expected, once the paper was off, he was left with a cardboard necklace case, probably handmade. He pulled off the top of the box, and felt his emotions shut down. No way in hell was he going to let any of the people in this room see how that affected him.

It was a simple collar, leather, and aged, with a rusted dog tag. He didn't need to look at it to know what it said. Simon. On the inside of the lid, there was a little message, typed out and taped to the top.

Can you help me find Simon?

"And what, may I ask, is this supposed to be?" He asked coolly, cutting off his emotion to his face and eyes until his features were completely blank. The littlest trickle of emotions right now could break his carefully constructed dam, and there was no way he was going to let that happen.

"Who is Simon?" One of the officers asked. An older man that had been leaning against the wall smacked the younger officer upside the head. It took him a few seconds to place where he knew the man. That was Laurent Rook. He had aged, obviously, from the young officer that had found him, hiding in the park that he had been taken from after burning down the house. The man had seemed so kind, and innocent that he had been drawn to the officer. Remy was ninety percent certain that he alone was responsible for the man losing his rose glasses and seeing the shadows that the normal people tried to hide.

"Hey kiddo." Officer Rook said slowly, stepping towards him. Just like when the man had found him, he wanted nothing more than to bolt away. The older man had used that same tone, and even the same words when he was a newly traumatized six year old and about to fall over from blood loss.

Remy had grown since then, and simply nodded at the older man. "Is this some sort of joke?" It had to be either that, or a threat, but he doubted that Whitcomb would allow him to be threatened in front of the man.

"You know the meaning behind this, then?" Mendell ground out.

"Not particularly." He lied easily. He hadn't told anyone about Simon, the dog, as a child, and he wasn't going to start now either. Some things were best kept private. On the other hand...

He intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on them. Should he mention to the man about the matches? Should he tell the people around him about the dog? It had been twenty years ago, and there was no reason that if that man was still alive for him to suddenly come out of hiding now. Not unless there was something to trigger him. Either news of his children had come out, and caused this, or...

"What, exactly, does the public know?" He asked. That was the only logical question he could come up with. Terror still pulled at his mind, threatening to drown him, but he wasn't about to let something like that stop him from getting answers.

Rook came over to him, making sure not to get in his personal space, and put a newspaper down on the floor in front of him. While Remy had long since gotten over his fear of being handed things, for the most part, he appreciated the gesture nevertheless. He was too nervous not to shake right now, and the illusion of holding himself together, while powerful, wasn't exactly perfectly effective. He glanced down at it, cursed loudly in a mix of French, which he had grown up with, and English.

"Merde. Oh putain, putain l'enfer . Comment at-elle savoir à ce sujet?" He raged for a moment, before taking a breath and consciously switching back to English. "How did she get her hands on this? You swore that this would be completely private!" He seethed, running a hand through his hair. "Merde, putain l'enfer."

"Calm down kiddo, you're going to hurt yourself!"

His piercing green eyes jumped to Rooks, and he stood, completely ignoring the others in the room. "It's not me you need to worry about right now. Brûle en enfe. What I want to know is how that... that dégénéré connasse even had enough pieces to jump to the conclusion about this!"

"Kiddo. You're blowing this out of proportion. Yes, it's public, but, it could be worse-"

"If this was the first message, oui. But, it's the third!" He seethed, blood pounding in his ears. He remembered himself, and shoved the rage, fear, and anger as far back in his mind as he could as his eyes slipped closed for a moment. "Apologies, Officer, but I'm sure you see my point." It wasn't the first time he had to talk calmly with someone who had pissed him off while exhausted.

Rook nodded, and he returned to his chair with as much calmness as he could fake. "Third? Does that mean you do know a Simon than."

"Oui." He agreed shortly, "It wasn't something relevant to your investigation two decades ago, and I didn't see a point in mentioning it." He was still irritated, and switching between the two languages he was raised with, but things could have been worse, he tried to tell himself. "It, as it turns out, is still not something you need to be aware of. If you will excuse me, I need to return home for the day. I find I am not in the best mind to be logical during this discussion at the present time." And with that, he strode out of the room, hesitating by the trashcan for a moment, trying to figure out if he should do what he wanted.

He slipped the collar in his pocket, and threw the box in the trash. At least, he thought sarcastically, he knew what the looks were about. By the time he got to his car, he was almost choking on his rage. To make things worse, in the driver's seat was another match. What was the point of the damn things? Why was someone trying to force him to remember that man? Why couldn't he just be left alone? Hadn't he suffered enough already? He grabbed the match angrily, wanting to break it in half or worse, and strode back up to the building where the officers had followed him, and threw the match at the old officer. "Find out about that."

There, he thought, he had given them something that could, hopefully, help the man figure out what was going on. "I will never, ever mention them again, but whatever you are thinking is probably wrong," He announced, "And, by the way, you might want to arrest Quinn for digging into sealed files. Good day."

Now, all he needed to do was get rid of some old fashioned anger. It was serving him well in front of others. If he had the choice between breaking down or raging in front of people, he would pick the rage every single time. He couldn't go back home just yet, not when he was so very angry. But, he could handle this. He would somehow, manage to shove it back again.

It just might take a few hours.


	15. Police a' Knocking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the main updates this evening.

The week following the collar incident, as he was mentally calling it, led to more unease in Remy's mind. He knew that he needed to start taking care of himself again, but he wasn't sure how. It was so strange, as he had somehow been transported back to the time when he was six. Memories had haunted his sleep, and he knew he was becoming obsessive in making sure that all five children were alright. He had been bombarded with calls the first day and a half, before finally turning his phone off.

Quinn had gotten her hands on his interview with Rook from back in the day, and apparently, decided that publishing it was a good idea. He had already been called by Campton's family, telling him his service was no longer needed, and he was sure that Miller's family would make a similar call soon.

The thing that no one seemed to realize was that this happened over two decades ago, when he had been six years old. It was not something that was new, and worth talking about, but old and better buried.

Remy would have been fine if every single conversation he had in the previous week hadn't centered around the incident. Everyone took the fact that he didn't say the man's name as proof that he was unstable, but that wasn't really true. It was more of a choice. Remy personally believed that the more he spoke about the incident, the more power he was giving to the man. It didn't matter that the police thoughts on the matter were completely wrong, or that no one seemed to think that Remy could take care of himself.

Not, of course, he thought with a sneer, that he hadn't been doing so for the better part of two decades or anything. He was starting to lose weight, due to his own nightmares refusing to be buried in his mind any longer, and was getting more and more lethargic. He even had to start napping while the children were asleep. He found his method of coping only worked when no one was really aware of what he had gone through. But no, when he had poured his heart out in that interview, before he had known better, he had, unknowingly, doomed himself now.

His family, who had always thought he was exaggerating on the subject, now knew details that no one else had ever been privy to. It was humiliating hearing people talk so casually about things that had haunted him for years. One day, maybe, he would have been able to share his story, but that day wasn't anywhere near that moment in time. He wasn't ready for the backlash, and hadn't even been able to leave his house, as he was almost always surrounded by reporters and news crews.

He could pretend that he was alright, for his children's sake, but even they weren't really falling for it anymore. He felt like he was going to break if he didn't get a few minutes to himself soon.

A knock resounded through the house, and somehow, that made things worse for his already tired mind. He needed to sleep, and rest, but that wasn't possible right now. The only good thing about this whole mess was that he had spent the entire last week with his children. Even now, Alyn was relaxing in his arms, having just woken from her afternoon nap. She was the only one awake, thankfully, and didn't mind if he moved around while holding her. He descended the stairs, trying to keep himself calm, and glanced at his youngest daughter in his arms. As much as he wanted her to stay in his arms where he knew she would be safe, he wasn't going to subject her to the reporter swarm outside. One glance of any of his children by the reporters, and they would be hounded.

He buckled her into the bouncy seat in the downstairs lounge, close enough that he would be able to hear her if something was wrong, but out of sight. He unlocked the front door, and strongly considered slamming it once he saw who was outside. But, alas, his common sense wouldn't let him. He couldn't help but want to curse out at least half the people on his doorstep.

He didn't though. He raised an eyebrow, and was met with silence. Nancy Quinn, his father, his mother, his youngest sister, Jade, officer Rook, three rookie officers, and for some extremely frustrating reason, Whitcomb, were all outside his doorway, waiting to come inside. As if.

"What, dare I ask, are you doing here?" Remy asked smoothly, making sure that the door was closed enough that no one could pass him. Like hell was he letting Quinn get anywhere near his children. Those on his porch seemed to stare at him, and he caught several flashes as his picture was taken from the lawn. His hair was disheveled, the shadows under his eyes looked like bruises, and he knew that no one had ever even thought he was human, let alone that he could be overly stressed.

"Remus Lothario!" His mother screeched, "I've taught you better than this!"

He inclined his head slightly, "Under usual circumstances, that is true." He agreed. But this was far from normal. He didn't have to say anything else, his refusal to let them in was enough. They were not coming near his children, especially not Quinn. No way was that vulture getting close to his little ones. Even if only Aislynn was awake, he knew that both Calla and Kai could come down the cushioned stairs by themselves. He had put a baby gate in front of the stairs, but the two older twins were smarter than most people gave them credit for. 

"Um, can we come in?" Quinn asked nervously, looking anywhere other than him.

"I don't know," Remy snapped back, "Can you?"

Rook hid a scoff. "May we come in, kiddo?" Rook tried, playing along.

"Hell no." Remy's eyes were locked on Quinn, making it obvious that the statement mostly applied to her more so than the others. She had ruined everything, as irrational as that sounded. She had brought his horrific childhood into the light, not caring in the slightest about what it would do to him. Quinn hadn't considered what would happen to his kids. He was about to snap something else, when a sound caught his attention.

"Papa?" Calla whispered. Oh hell no. Merde. 

He let his head fall on the door, squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and sighed silently, begging his daughter to leave with his mind. He may have melted a bit at the word, unable to suppress the softness he felt at the word. She had started saying it yesterday, having the slight accent that he did when she said the word.

"Papa?!" Quinn screamed, catching the attention of the swarm of idiots in his lawn.

His eyes narrowed, "Will you shut up!" He hissed, before turning a bit so that his daughter could see his face, but the door blocked it from the others. "Go to the lounge, please." He requested. She was a bit confused, as he hardly ever spoke to any of his children without sneaking in a small word of affection. Calla widened her eyes for a moment, before shaking her wild red hair and holding her arms up, a gesture that she wanted to be held. "Give me a few minutes, alright?" He whispered softly, petting her soft red hair for a moment.

Calla refused, and he closed his eyes for a moment, annoyed with the situation, and not with her, before finally consenting and picking up the tired tot and placing her on his hip.

"I don't have time for any of you right now." He told the group coolly, carefully making sure that the door was blocking their view of his daughter. "Please leave."

Rook sighed loudly. "We can't, kiddo. May we come in?"

"She stays outside." He demanded, before opening the door enough for the people he allowed to come inside did so. There was no way he was going to give them the satisfaction of knowing how perturbed he was having so many people next to his children. Calla was the most outgoing of his children so far, and even she was curled against him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and hiding her face from the people. Once he happily shut the door in Quinn's face, he turned to the group.

"She's beautiful kiddo." Rook complemented. "How old is she?"

"Twenty- seven months." He answered easily, rubbing a hand on her back, hoping it would be able to calm the child down. "Do you want to say hello, darling?" He asked his daughter. She shook her head and clung tighter to him. He rolled his eyes, but allowed it. Alyn started to cry from the other room, and he hid a groan, going to the lounge and unbuckling the child, moving Calla further to his left as he scooped Alyn up in his other arm. She wasn't very happy with anyone else watching her, but as usual, Aislynn calmed once he picked her up.

"That's why..." Rook muttered, "You weren't hiding for you." The officer seemed to collapse on himself. It was clear now that Remy was thinking about his children, and the side effects of his past on them. Once they were older, Rook knew that they would hear about the mess their father had been in as a child. He hated that children were going to be forced to live with the supposed sins of their father. 

Remy scoffed. "Of course not! How old do you think I am?" He looked down at his children, and Calla reached up, pulling his hair slightly. She frowned at him, and looked at him with her big eyes. Aislynn fussed a bit in his other arm, irritated at the strangers around her. Both girls did not like how tense their father was, and neither one felt safe around the strangers. 

He sighed lightly, and summoned a soft smile for his daughters. They were so beautiful, innocent, and had such large personalities for such small people. His father moved towards him, knowing that the children should not be there for this type of conversation. "Why don't I take my lovely grandchildren upstairs?" The man reached for them, but his grand daughters just burrowed further into their father's arms. There was no way they were going with anyone else just yet. 

Remy let out a small sigh. "Come on, darling, dont you want to go and play? I'm sure Kaira is awake by now." Alyn wanted nothing more than to stay with her father. Still, it took a few moments, but he passed Alyn to his father, as Calla wasn't even thinking about letting him go just yet. Callista was as stubborn as he was, at not just over two years old. He was frightened to think about how much more stubborn she would be as a teenager. 

"What are their names?" Rook asked after letting Remy get comfortable holding his oldest daughter for a moment.

"This is Callista, say hi darling." She shook her head again, and he rolled his eyes. "The little cuddle bug over there is Aislynn. She's seven months old. Speaking of... Father, would you go check on the younger twins?" He asked. The kids were more comfortable with his father than any of the others, except, maybe, Edward. They didn't much get along with his mother, possibly because she didn't seem interested in them. As for their aunts and uncle, well, Remy was holding off on letting them spend time with his children until they had proved themselves in his eyes.

Rook tilted his head slightly, a technique that Remy remembered vividly. He was being interrogated right now, and only Rook and Remy knew it. "Younger twins?"

"Mmm." Remy agreed, glancing past them to the small red head hiding in the doorway. "Are you going to come and say hello sweetheart?" He asked the younger red head, who jumped once he had brought attention to her. She bolted past the strangers and clung to his leg. He hid a sigh. That, he assumed, was a no. He gave in, and bent down so that she could lock her arms around his neck, like her twin, only with her on the right. Kai wasn't happy with the visitors, he assumed, seeing as she was digging her nails into his neck."Kaira, sweetheart," He sighed lightly. She loosened her grip a bit, but didn't even think about looking up just yet. His father snuck away to go and get the other two, if these three were awake, then the boys likely were as well.

Rook came closer, keeping his hands where Remy could see them, which he appreciated. And bent just a bit. "Hello there, you two. My name is Detective Rook. I'm a friend of your daddy's."

Remy had to work not to snort at that. Friend. Sure, that was the word he would use, he thought sarcastically. "He's known me since I was just a bit older than you two. You already know grandmère, and aunt Jade." He made sure that his voice was calm, even if he couldn't completely block the annoyance. "Can you give me a minute to take them upstairs?" He asked, making it clear that it wasn't a request. "

I'll take them." Mr. Whitcomb volunteered, a big smile on his face to make the girls more comfortable. "I'm sure they can lead me to your... father?" The man was trying to be friendly yet the girls were not fooled. They wanted him, and just him. 

Remy hesitated, there really was no way to deny the man without possibly offending his boss. Instead, he glanced down at the twins. "Girls? Will you show Mr. Whitcomb where the playroom is? I'm sure Thario and Theo are up by now." Calla perked up a bit at the mention of her little buddy. She squirmed a bit in his arms, a sign that she wanted to get down. He crouched so that her feet could reach the floor, and waited for a moment to see if Kaira would go with her sister or not. She didn't want to, he could easily tell that, but from the looks he was getting, the twins needed to get out of here, and soon. He rolled his eyes, and pet her hair for a moment, before copying the gesture on Calla. "Keep an eye on your sisters and brothers, alright, darling." He muttered to Calla, before letting Kai slide down to the floor. Once she looked at him, he met her eyes, silently asking her to go upstairs with her sister.

She shook her head, and tried to reach out for him again. Calla grabbed her sisters hand, catching her attention, shaking her head lightly. He had to hand it to his oldest daughter, she knew how to get her twin's attention. Of course, that was probably due to the fact that they had known each other their entire lives, and even if they didn't exactly spend a lot of time together, they still had their own ways to communicate. Kai looked at him, and he gave her a small smile. She let her sister pull her towards the stairs, where Mr. Whitcomb followed easily. Once he heard the sound of Kai and Calla going up the stairs, he turned back to the other adults, face completely blank.

"Why are you here?" He asked coolly, scanning the room with careful eyes. He didn't like the fact that these people were in the same house as his children, even if he was still slightly fond of Rook. Who, funny enough, looked more uncomfortable than any of the others. His mother and sister didn't meet his eyes, and the other officers seemed to see a report, not a person. He was sure that Rook would have warned them, but, surprise, surprise, they knew his history, and couldn't see the person he had become. If that was the case, which was the most likely explanation, he could shoot one of them in the head, and they would simply blame it on his past.

"We think..." Rook started slowly, "that you have a copy- cat after you."


End file.
